How I Lived and Died
by Clockwork's Apprentice
Summary: Screaming- that was all he remembered from the day he died. It would always haunt him, but with help of an old friend, he finds a new life (well afterlife) in Bayville without knowing just what awaits there.
1. Prologue

**Author Note: It occurred to me that I haven't done Danny Phantom fics in a while and I apologize for that- I just got really caught up in some newer fandoms and I kind of hit a writer's block with Danny Phantom.**

**~CWA**

**Tile: **How I Lived And Died**  
Summary: **Screaming- that was all he remembered from the day he died. It would always haunt him, but with help of an old friend, he finds a new life (well afterlife) in Bayville without knowing just what awaits there.**  
Rated:** T**  
Genre: **Friendship/Humor  
**Disclaimer: **_I do not own nor claim Danny Phantom. I do not own nor claim X-Men Evolution. I do own OC- Gear.  
_**Notes:** Obviously chapters will be longer._  
_

**Prologue:**

**Danny:**

Life was a rather funny thing, I realized. People thought it was pretty long, after all most people lived to be in their nineties, sometimes even a hundred. It was more than enough time to live a life- or at least just go through it. You were born. You were a kid. You played. You had fun. You maybe skinned your knee a few times, maybe got into a few accidents. You went to school. You made friends and you learned. You grew up, started a family, had a couple of kids, went to work, then what? You retire and finally, you die.

To me, however, a lifespan was never long enough. It was never long enough for people to have time to realize their mistakes. It was never enough time for you to make sure that the people you cared about knew you loved them. It was never enough time. In my case, my life wasn't that long- it wasn't long enough for me to fix mistakes, apologize, confess a few things, or even long enough for me to just live it. I died too young- at least, in my eyes I did.

Then again, if I never died that day, my life… well afterlife… would be so much different aside from the fact that I would actually still be alive. Though that's not the point I was trying to make, was it? No.

See to me, my life was too short because I never got to do the things I wanted to do and I may never get the chance to do them since I was a ghost. I never got to kiss Sam. I never got to tell Jazz that even though she annoyed me that she was the best big sister I ever could have asked for. I never got to go to college and make memories. I never got to go to NASA and become an astronaut.

You really can't just go through life like some sort of machine on autopilot- get up, eat, work, sleep… No, you had to _live it._ This is my story of how I did just that even though technically, I didn't really have a 'life' since I was already dead. Perhaps it was really a story of how I didn't really live until after I died?

How's that for irony.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author Note: Please review!**

**~CWA**

**Chapter 1:**

**Danny:**

When I opened my eyes, I took in my surroundings. I was gasping for air, but it felt like my lungs didn't need it like I didn't need to breath… Did I need to breath? I furrowed my brows and stopped breathing for a moment. I waited. I counted…. _1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10…_ I got past 60 seconds before I realized that I really didn't need to breath. Yet, why didn't I need to breath? Breathing was important, right? It was what kept us alive.

I was on my back in a strange place. Looking around only made me feel more out of place. There was no ground, per say. Everything was purple and green. There were floating buildings, landmasses, doors…. Where was I? What was this place? I looked down at my hands- they were covered in white gloves.

_Am I…in Hell? _

Fear gripped me. If I was in Hell then that meant I was dead- I died… But how did I die? My brows furrowed and I tried to concentrate on my death, desperately trying to remember but I came up blank… I did remember screaming- my screaming…. But why was I screaming? A small pain formed on my stomach and I placed my hand over it. My stomach felt…bare… I looked down and nearly fell down in shock.

I was wearing some sort of skin-tight suit that was mostly black, but there was a whole in it. The hole made my torso and stomach bare, showing the scars. _So many scars… Why do I have so many scars…_ I lightly traced one of the scars- it was shaped like a 'Y' , the top two points being at each of my shoulders and the end of it going down to my naval. Other scars lightly went over it, showing that they were a bit older than the 'Y' scar. I traced each one.

_What happened to me… Better yet, who am I?_

What was my name, again? How old was I? Who was I? I wasn't sure and I don't know if I wanted to know- I might not like the answers. If my heart was beating, it would be racing right now…. I looked around again- I was still alone. If it was Hell, then where was everyone? All the demons? Where was the fire? It didn't seem like Hell, but if it wasn't Hell then where was I?

I yawned…. Either way, it was tiring… I supposed that it would be okay to take a nap… Just for a little bit… I closed my eyes.

_People appeared before me. One person was a woman with red hair in some type of turquoise skin-tight suit- she was smiling as the man in the orange suit had an arm around her shoulders. Between them was a girl, she wasn't my age, she seemed a bit older than me, I thought. She had long red hair and turquoise eyes that matched her headband. She was rolling her eyes at the adults and she looked towards me. _

_"Come on, Danny, let's get out of here… We're going to be late for school."_

_I saw my hand take hers. _

_"You have to tell them some time Danny," she whispered._

_"I know," I whispered back, but I wasn't sure what she was talking about._

_Why I was saying I knew something? Who was she talking about? Tell them what? _

_"Dudes," someone called out, "You going to walk or does someone want to ride there in style?"_

_We turned to see a girl- the same age as the redhead I was talking to. Except this girl had long purple hair. Her eyes were covered by yellow-tinted goggles. She had an odd metallic-looking belt on that was very thick and reminded me of machinery. She wore something similar on her arm- it took up the whole area from her wrist to her elbow. She was also riding a black motorcycle. _

_"You go ahead," I told the redhead, "I can walk."_

_"You sure, Danny?"_

_"I'm positive," I laughed, "She is your best friend after all."_

_The scene faded to black. When my sight came back, the other people were gone. I was in some type of class. There was an overweight teacher talking at the front of the class, but I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. A blue wisp escaped from my mouth. I looked around desperately._

_"Go ahead dude," an African boy whispered, "We'll cover for you if you're not back by lunch."_

_"He's right, Danny," the black haired girl next to me whispered._

_"Okay, thanks guys."_

_"No problem," the African boy smiled, "We're your best friends after all."_

_Something about them made me feel like I could trust them. The black haired girl evoked another feeling as well- a feeling I wasn't sure about. _

_"Besides," the girl continued, "After two years of you being a half-ghost, we got this. Now go."_

_I nodded to them before shooting my hand up in the air._

_"Mr. Lancer, can I use the restroom?"_

_The scene faded again. When it came back, I was chained to some sort of table. People in white suits were standing over me._

_"We know who you are, Ghost Boy… Your family and friends will pay for hiding scum like you from us…"_

I woke up screaming. I clutched my chest. _What was that? Who were those people? _My thoughts turned into a whirlwind. _Danny… they called me Danny…Is that my name? Is my name Danny? But…who were they? How did they know my name?_

I clutched my head and let out a frustrated sigh. The dream was like flashback without all the details…Who were those men in the white suits? What did they do to me? What did they do to my friends? My family? What happened?

_The girl,_ I realized, _the girl…She called me a half-ghost… That's what I am, right? I'm a half-ghost… But I don't feel like a ghost, I can see myself perfectly and that doesn't explain where I am…. But she said half-ghost did that mean I'm half-dead or at least I was half-dead… I died… So does that mean that I'm…_

"A ghost," I whispered, "I'm a ghost…"


	3. Chapter 2

**Author Note: Please Review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 2: **

**Danny:**

Considering that the day I died actually killed me, one would think I remembered it. Sadly, I didn't. I wished I did, but at the same time I didn't since it was, after all, the day _I died._ Plus, the one thing I did remember was screaming- my screaming. Who would want to remember whatever caused them to scream? But if I knew though then I might know why I had so many scars on my chest. Actually, forget that. The day I died was the end of my story. I wanted to remember the beginning and the middle of my story. I could only remember bits and parts. I remembered a redheaded woman, a tall older man, a redheaded older girl with a headband, a purple-haired girl, a black-haired girl, and an African American guy. I remembered the feelings that they gave me- images of the redheaded woman and the older man was usually with a feeling of love only to be replaced by a feeling of sorrow, the redhead girl and purple-haired girl felt like love but more of a sibling love, the black haired girl felt like friendship, trust, love and the last guy usually came with the feeling of trust and friendship. I still couldn't remember their names- I only knew mine because of that flashback/dream. I still didn't even know who those guys in white were or what they did to me or my family and friends.

Still, I figured if I wasn't in Hell and I was a ghost, then I must be wherever ghosts went. Like some sort of Twilight Zone… _Or Ghost Zone since it's ghosts- haha… _I chuckled to myself, wondering just what the real name of the place was. Though my best bet was to explore, what was the worst that could happen? Though I supposed that I should get new clothes the first chance I get because frankly, the draft on my torso was annoying. My eye twitched. _Yeah that's it, it's coming off._

With one swift movement, I grabbed the fabric that gathered around my waist and yanked it off. Now my whole torso, including my arms, was bare, but everything below the waist was still covered by the black skin-tight fabric. I looked at the fabric in my hands and rubbed my thumb over it. I wondered what type of fabric it was. _It's like some sort o HAZMAT suit, but why would I be wearing it?_

I furrowed my brows when I realized that there was something else on the fabric. I carefully fit the fabric together just enough to see that there was a white D symbol with what looked like a black P inside of it. _What does that stand for… I mean… the D is understandable if my name is Danny, but what about the P? Is that my last name? _

I wondered what the P could stand for. I stood there, well floated, with a finger on my chin in thought. _Pruitt? Parsley? Paris? Packers?_

I shivered at the word _packers_… I wasn't too sure why, but it kind of gave me the creeps. A brief blurry image of a man with a ponytail came to mind before I shook my head. _Who was that? Why did I remember him when I said packers? _I shook my head again.

_Phantom? Parker? Wait…Phantom…Phantom… No that can't be right, but Parker sounds nice…_

"Parker," I said, "Danny Parker… That sounds right…"

I smiled to myself, convinced that I finally figured out my name. _Danny Parker… I like it…_ Feeling somewhat sentimental to the fabric in my hands, I folded it up and kept it in my hand. I felt like I had to keep it for a reason I couldn't quite explain. It was important- _I think_. I shook my head and continued floating through the strange place. I needed to find some way to get out of here, find out who I was… Maybe if I did that then I could find that inner peace or something?

There was just one problem- I had no idea how I was supposed to get out here. I mean, was there some sort of spell I had to say? A portal? Some special password? Or was there no way out at all.

"Daniel," a deep voice said, "Come with me."

I turned around and my eyes widened in shock. I knew that not all ghosts might not look human- but this guy… He had blue skin, red eyes, some scar on his eyes, and he just changed from a child to a young adult. Was that normal? Does he need some sort of ghostly medical help? Though something about him seemed familiar… An image flashed in my mind- it was him, then there was a man that wore something similar to what I was wearing but he had blue skin and white flaming hair with red eyes and fangs… I shook my head. What was that? Who was that guy? And just who was it standing in front of me?

The creepy guy smirked.

"I am Clockwork, the Master of Time. I know all that was, is, and will be… And you, Daniel, seem to have forgotten your past…"

"Does that mean you'll help me," I asked with hopeful eyes.

"Indeed," Clockwork smiled, "But you must follow me."

I vaguely remembered a saying that said not to trust strangers and even though this guy was strange, something told me he wasn't really a stranger, per say. Something said I could trust him. So going with my gut feeling, I followed the ghost.

"So how do I know you? Am I really a ghost? What is this place called?"

"I helped you defeat an enemy," Clockwork said vaguely, "You are indeed a ghost in this place- the Ghost Zone…"

I stopped in my tracks. He turned to watch me curiously. I bit my lip to keep from laughing,

"The… The Ghost Zone…Seriously? I was expecting some cool name but the Ghost Zone…. I just….HAHA!"

I couldn't help it- I laughed. Clockwork watched amused, but a bit impatient.

"As humorous as it may be, young Daniel, there is still some other questions of yours that need answering."

I sobered up.

"Yeah… Yeah, I have a lot of questions…"

"And I have the answers, now come."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author Note: Please review! Will be awhile till the x-men come in, but they will come in a few chapters! Danny just has to learn some stuff first.  
~CWA  
**

**Chapter 3:**

**Danny:**

Clockwork explained a lot to me. He told me a lot of stuff about how I was a half-ghost when I was alive, I protected people, my name (I was mildly disappointed that my name wasn't Danny Parker but Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom), names to go with the faces. Only one thing stuck out more than the rest. My family and friends were dead aside from the purple-haired girl (Clockwork said her name was Gear). At least he gave me new clothes because the ones I woke up in were so damaged- the black jeans and hoodie fit rather well. Though I had no idea what I looked like or what the clothes looked like on me because there were no mirrors.

As for how I died, the stopwatch wouldn't tell me. He said I would figure it out in time. Bullshit. At least he gave me the address to Gear's house- according to him, she would take me where I needed to be to get answers, which was why I found myself knocking on her door. I shifted my weight uncomfortably. The hood of the hoodie covered my head pretty well so that no one would recognize me. I just hoped that Clockwork was right, that she would know it was me. The door opened.

Gear stood there- just like I remembered her. Her long purple hair framed her face, yellow-tinted goggles were on her head, a thick metallic belt was around her waist and a metallic gadget was attached to her arm taking up the room from her wrist to her elbow. She was also pointing what looked like a gun at me. I put my hands up in defense,

"Woah!"

"If you really are Danny then get your ectoplasmic butt in here because you got some explaining to do. If you're not Danny dude then I suggest you get that butt off my porch before I blow you to pieces."

She cocked the gun,

"'Cause trust me I will. I don't take kindly to people who impersonate my family."

"Gear," I asked cautiously, not sure what to say, "…It's me…"

She smirked,

"I know, there's not a single ecto-signature like yours. I just always wanted to threaten someone with this."

She twirled the gun in her hands before hooking it up to a place on her belt. She gestured for me to come in, so I floated through the doorway and took a seat on the couch. The house was small and homey though something told me there was more than what meant the eye. I spotted a few empty bottles of beer and I raised my eyebrow. _Does she drink? _As soon as I sat down, she hugged me tightly,

"I don't do mushy stuff, but damn it dude! I thought you were gone!"

She hugged me eve tighter and I tensed. After a second, she released me and I gulped. What should someone say to a person who clearly knows you better than you even know yourself?

"…I am gone," I finally whispered quietly, looking down at my hands, "…I was hoping you'd tell me how…"

Gear's eyes widened for a brief moment before she sighed,

"You don't remember."

I nodded and she continued,

"Then… what do you remember?"

"I remember faces," I explained, "I met Clockwork in the Ghost Zone. He was the one to give me names with the faces- Jazz, Maddie, Jack, Vladimir, Gear, Sam, and Tucker. He didn't say anything else about them. He said my name is Daniel Fenton and Phantom… I was a half-ghost when I was alive, right?"

I scratched at my head,

"But I don't… I don't understand… I mean, how could I be half-ghost? Is that possible? He said I protected people though… But he told me my family was dead… Is that true?"

"Yeah," she gave a grim look, "Sorry, Double D. But… Maddie and Jack were your parents. Jazz was your older sister. Sam was your best friend and you were going to ask her to be your girlfriend. Tucker was your best friend too."

"What about you," I asked in confusion, though what she said made sense- it made sense about what I felt when I saw their faces.

"Me?"

She gave a slight chuckle,

"I was your big sister's best friend. Man, the trouble she got me out of… Look, I thought of you as a baby brother- I still do… Though what is up with your hair and eyes dude?"

She ran a hand through my hair,

"Dude, no offense, but it looks kind of bad with this style… I can always fit it up- I know a few things… Maybe if we shaved the sides…"

I didn't pay much attention to what she said, I just wondered what she meant.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's like your two halves.. morphed together, man this is exciting- if you don't mind, I would like to draw some err blood from your arm later. With fresh ectoplasm I can figure out what changed in your DNA and work on my weaponry and… You're getting freaked out now, aren't you?"

She scratched at her head in a sheepish manor. I looked at her with wide eyes. _Weaponry? Just what does she do? What did I get myself into? But what does she mean by morphed?_

"Morphed," I questioned.

She made a 'one-second' motion with her finger before leaving the room. When she came back, she handed me a mirror and a few pictures. I looked in the mirror first. My hair was messy, I would admit that. It was white at the top and the middle, but the sides were pitch black. It looked a bit off. My eyes were swirls of green and blue. The pictures showed a raven haired boy with blue eyes with Sam and Tucker. Another pictured showed a white haired teen with green eyes flying through the air- he was wearing what I was when I woke up in the Ghost Zone. I ran a finer over the pictures, _she said it was like my two halves morphed…_

"The black haired boy…he's me, isn't he? And so is the white haired one? But how…?"

"Clocky told you that you were half-ghost, right? Well dude, you could switch between your ghost half and your human half. The black-haired you is your human half, and it's the way you looked before the accident. The white-haired you is your ghost half, make sense?"

"Sort of…But how did I become half-ghost ghost?"

I looked at her curiously. Gear ran a hand through her hair,

"That's a bit complicated… Look, your parents were brilliant, okay? Some of the smartest people I knew. They were also ghost hunters. When you were fourteen, you're sixteen now, by the way, they built a portal to the Ghost Zone. It didn't work, you went in and then BOOM- your DNA got fused with ectoplasm, the stuff ghosts are made of… Then your body knew how to be human and ghost, per say… You became half-ghost…"

"Uh-huh," I nodded slowly, somehow what she said made sense, "And what about you? How do you know all of this?"

"Dude, your older sister was my best friend, she tells me everything and… I know Jazz would want you to be alright even if you're a ghost now… So, I can answer any of your questions."

"How did I die? How did they die?"

"Any question but that," she stood up, "Sorry dude."

She stood up and was about to head to the kitchen,

"Do you want any tea or something…. Never mind, you don't eat or drink anymore…"

She continued to the kitchen. I stared after her before I stood up as well. My fists clenched.

"What I want is answers- you said you would answer any questions and those are my questions. Gear, tell me!"

"Not a chance," she said as she poked her head back into the living room.

My fists were still in tight fists. How dare she not tell… I deserved to know, I _needed_ to know. Looking closer I realized that there her eyes were a bit red and puffy- I don't know how I didn't realize that before. She had been crying.

"Why," I demanded hotly, "Why won't you tell me!? I deserve to know, don't I? It was I who died! It was my family, friends! Why don't you tell me?!"

"Because it was my family too," Gear snapped, "Your family was like a second family to me! They took me in when no one else would and I'll be damned if I can sit here and talk about their deaths just a week after they died and you too! I didn't know you came back as a ghost, Danny. Do you realize how much it hurt to realize everything was gone? You, my best friend, my new family…. It hurts me too, dude…."

She took a deep breath and my fists slowly unclenched when I realized she was right. She said she was Jazz's best friend so that meant that when my family died, she lost something too.

"Look, I can't tell you because I can't talk about it," Gear sighed, "But I will tell you this- I'm moving soon and I swore to your sister that I would protect you, even if you're a ghost that still applies. So tell me Danny dude, do you want to mope around here for a bit or do you want to come with me to New York? What do you want to do?"

She stood there, waiting patiently with a hand on her hip. I looked to the ground for a moment. What did I want to do? I was dead. I was a no body.

"I want to live," I whispered.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author Note: Please review! Some more info about Gear coming up in this chapter.  
~CWA**

**Chapter 4:**

**Gear:**

I was still a bit shocked that Danny was back. He was a full ghost. I supposed it was to be expected, after all, he was a halfa when he was alive. Still, it made for an interesting discovery because if that meant that Vlad would become a full ghost when he died then- I shivered. That would be horrible. I was about eighty percent sure, however, that the reason Danny was a ghost was because he had a tragic death. I shivered again- he _did_ have a very tragic death which was why I was still reluctant to talk about it. I knew exactly what had happened. I hacked into the Guys in White. I saw the videos… I knew they were planning on killing the Fenton's, Sam and her family as well Tucker and his family… I was too late to warned them and I had scars to act as reminders that I was too late- I got caught in the explosion. Still, it was nothing compared to what Danny had to face.

I shook my head. There was no time to think about such things. I needed to get to work, and quickly. Danny agreed to come to New York with me, though I doubted he knew what he was getting into and I honestly didn't want to tell him that I was going to Bayville, New York, because of the reports of mutants. Granted, I put my moving plans aside for the past couple of weeks so Danny could get used to his powers again- I told him what all of his powers were and warned him that they may get stronger or that he may get new ones. He was beyond thrilled that he could turn invisible and intangible, going on and on about the pranks he could do. I smiled, _that's my bro._

Now, however, Danny had control of his powers- for the most part. He was ready to blend into society and I was going to help him. Though, to be honest, one of the best things about him being back was that he could help pack up some of the heavier boxes into my pick-up truck (I used to have a motorcycle but I sold it when I realized a pick-up was more practical). Thankfully, we didn't have to dissemble the lab in the house- I had already done that way months ago (Jazz knew about me moving) and it was only last week that I moved the lab to the new house in Bayville (with minor help from Danny).

"Are you sure you're ready to do this," I asked as I drove us off and away from Amity Park.

He was looking out the window, watching the buildings past by us. He was still a bit angry at me for not telling him how he died, but honestly- I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was no possible way that I would be able to tell him what happened- it would break his heart and mine.

"Yeah," he answered, "Not much else I can do, you know?"

"Ain't that the unfortunate truth," I chuckled slightly.

"Hey Gear?"

"What's up, Double D," I asked.

I briefly looked over at him through the corner of my eye. He was looking at me desperately,

"What was my life like?"

I smiled slightly as I remembered meeting Danny for the first time. I chuckled slightly,

"Well, let's see… You were sixteen years old when you died, but I met your sister when I was six so you were around four at the time. Back then you were so scared of strangers."

I laughed,

"You were scared of me all the way until you were eight! Funny though, even back then you kept saying how you wanted to be an astronaut. I remember one time when you were about seven- I was only nine at the time. I spent the night at you guys' house and Jazz and I woke up pretty late at night only to find you running around the house with a fish bowl on your head that was _huge_. You kept repeatedly saying, _'I'm an astronaut!' _It was the funniest thing… Man, dude, you actually wouldn't believe how many embarrassing stories I have on you…."

"Should I be scared," Danny asked cautiously.

"Oh yeah, dude. Piss me off and I'll be your worst nightmare. If it makes you feel better, there was that jock named Dash that always shoved you into lockers and when I found out about it, I spread the pictures of him with his stuffed animal collection all over school."

I laughed as I remembered that day- of course, shoving Danny in a locker was only partly the reason. I had been looking for a reason to embarrass Dash since the day I met him. 'Side he kept hitting on me and that got really annoying. Jazz wasn't too happy with me- said I was 'using my powers for evil.' _Pfftt she knew I hacked into governments, sold secret info, and sold my tech since I was like fifteen and she thinks spreading a few embarrassing pictures of a jock is evil. _Danny laughed,

"Did he really have a collection?"

"Only the biggest!"

We were still laughing for the next couple of minutes. I loved that he wasn't as tense as he was a moment before. I imagined that losing your memory couldn't be the easiest thing in the world. Granted, if I ever lost my memory, it would be hella confusing since a good portion of my life revolves around technology, passwords, and hacking. Not to mention with a lot of people trying to kill me, it'd be pretty dangerous. Though I supposed that Danny not remembering anything was dangerous too. I made a mental note to hack into Vlad's systems later as well as the Guys' In White. Plus I should contact Danielle- she'd want to know that Danny was 'alive' for lack of a better word.

"Gear," Danny whistled.

I jolted,

"What?"

"Considering that you are the one driving, _please don't space out."_

"Sorry," I shrugged slightly, "I was still paying attention though."

"Uh-huh which why you heard me when I was calling your name ten times."

"Never said I was paying attention to you," I stuck my tongue out, causing him to laugh slightly.

In just a moment, however, he had an attitude change as he looked out the window.

"….I really am dead, aren't I Gear?"

"Don't let that bring you down," I chimed, "You know what they say, 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.' 'Sides think of this more as a second chance at life. I mean, I can teach you how to really _live_."

He stared at me blankly,

"…I'm almost scared to ask what you mean."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**Danny:**

After driving with Gear for a few days, I was more than thankful when we pulled up to the house. It was pretty average-sized. It wasn't too big nor too large. There was a standard garden and white picket fence around the building. It looked to be two stories, but it was about the size of a townhouse so neither store wasn't too large- granted there was a small balcony with stairs on the second story. I shook my head and turned to help Gear, but she just tossed some keys at me.

"Go unlock the door, check out your room if you want- it's the second story. I got this shit."

She gave a mock salute before turning to get some boxes. Giving a small nod, I did as she said and went to unlock the door, careful to leave it open so she could get through it without setting down any boxes. The floors were all dark hardwood and the walls were all a light gray color. Basic furniture was already set up, but the shelves were all empty. The kitchen cabinets and the kitchen, I checked, were stocked. I headed upstairs to my bedroom, managing to find it was pretty easy since there was only two rooms and a small hall on the second story- one of the rooms being the bathroom.

My bedroom had me awed. Gear must have spent a lot of time on it. There was NASA posters on the wall with small rockets floating from the ceiling. An oval bed with dark green sheets as well. A computer and desk laid in the corner as did a bookshelf. I gently reached up and touched one of the rockets as a feeling of homesickness came over me as a flashback came to mind.

_"One day," I whispered as I looked out the window and to the stars, "I'm gonna do it. I'm going to be an astronaut… I don't care that I'm half-ghost. I will do it…"_

The image disappeared. I smiled slightly. _So Gear was right- I did want to be an astronaut… _ I stared at the posters of the stars with a smile. Maybe I could relearn all the stars? Though if I had to remember one thing- _just one_- then I would really want to remember the day I died, or maybe remember all the stuff I used to know about ghosts? Though Gear could probably help me relearn the stuff about ghosts and my powers, for that matter. I made a mental note to ask her about the Ghost Zone later.

I continued to explore my bedroom, even going inside the closet to see clothes (hopefully the right size) in the closet. I looked through them, finding mostly black clothing and jeans. Though one of the shirts made me stop for a moment- it was white with a red oval in the center and red outlining the neckline and sleeves. Some odd feeling came up as I touched the fabric. I shook my head slightly and walked out of the closet to head towards the restroom, where hopefully there would be a full-length mirror so I could see what I looked like.

As soon as I was about to step into the bathroom,

"WAIT! DON'T YOU DARE SET FOOT IN THERE DANIEL JACK FENTON!"

I jumped and swerved around, my fists raising to my chest in a stance, ready to fight. Gear came running through the hall, a few things in her hands. I looked down at my fists, confused, and lowered them. _My first instinct was to fight….and apparently I know how… Gear let me practice my powers, but hand to hand combat? Did I know that too?_

"Glad to see your fighting skills stayed with ya," Gear said dryly, "And yes, you do know how to fight. You were a hero, remember? Still are, really, just don't remember it… Now step away from the restroom."

"Why," I asked cautiously.

"Because I told you I was going to fix that hair of yours first. Now get to your bedroom and sit on the bed."

She all but shoved me into my bedroom and onto the bed. Her tongue stuck out slightly as she bit it in thought. She had scissors, a razor, and a comb. There was also a small white bag with her. I eyed it,

"What's in the bag?"

"Dye in case you don't like your hair white. But trust me, this is going to be badass…"

She didn't give me a chance to protest as she started to cut and comb my hair. I winced as she tugged on some places and snipped away. When I thought she was done, she clipped and combed some more. She clicked the razor on and started on each side of my head where the black hair was. Then she clicked it off and combed some more. Finally, she stood back and wiped some hair off her hands.

"There. Now go take a look… Wait, hang on."

I stood still as she wiped at the back of my neck and my shoulders.

"There," Gear said, "Now go check it out- it's my best work yet."

Hesitantly, I did as she said and went to the restroom. There was a full length mirror so I stared at the foreign reflection…_Me…that's me…_ My hair was shaved on the sides, but there was still a bit of the black hair there (it was just cut like a buzz cut), but the white part of my hair was still longer than the sides and swept over to the right. I ran my hand through it and smiled.

"Cool," I muttered as I continued to look at me.

According to Gear, I was sixteen years old when I died. I looked a bit tall, but not _too_ tall. I was surprised, however, that I was pretty muscled and in good shape unlike most people (though Gear was in good shape, but she wasn't muscular, per say). I took off the hoodie and looked at my arms- they were muscled too. I smirked to myself as I flexed my arms in the mirror, making various poses as I did so.

"Dude, I am never walking in without knocking again."

I screamed and slipped on the tiles, phasing through the floor. I huffed as I phased back through the floor to be in the restroom again. Gear was laughing her head off.

"Oh man," she wiped a fake tear from her eye, "You're a riot and a half dude… I never thought sneaking up on ghost superhero would be so easy! Pffft…. Ah…"

She took a moment before she stopped laughing. I stood there with my arms crossed and a frown.

"What did you want," I asked hotly.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, I just wanted to show you something. Come on."

She gestured for me to follow her so I did. As we descended down the stairs, she spoke to me.

"My room's on the first floor by the way, so don't go in it. I do specialize in anti-ghost tech after all. Anyway, dude, there's some stuff you don't know about me."

"I don't know _anything _about you," I pointed out, "except that you were my sister's best friend apparently."

"Yeah, yeah," she waved the comment off, "Glad to see having your memory gone didn't erase that sarcastic mouth… Look dude, all that I'm about to tell you is stuff I told you before, remember that. The first time I told you, it took you a week to accept it, but you did. I'm hoping it won't take you a week again."

We stopped when we reached a specific place on the wall in the downstairs hall. I gulped slightly, not knowing what to expect. She put her hand against the wall and a small red light scanned it. A part of the wall slid open to reveal a large metallic door.

"This is my lab, you know that part, but you don't know everything about it nor why I even have a lab."

She punched in multiple numbers on a pad on the door before it slid open, as we entered, she turned her head up,

"Deactivation code Double D, 2, Jasmine."

There was a clicking sound as if gears were coming loose from inside the walls. I looked around a bit confused. The lab was different then the one at the other house- the one I helped her take apart. Plus it was a _lot_ bigger. Most of it was empty in the center. There was a large hexagon against one wall with metallic doors covering it- a sign read _Ghost Portal_ above it. There were multiple shelves and tables filled with various gadgets and inventions that I hadn't the faintest idea what they were for.

"That code, dude, deactivates the guns," she said, "See, if I didn't say that code within five seconds of entering, the system is made to think that it's an intruder. So there are multiple weapons, human made and anti-ghost alike, designed to take down whatever it senses. Trust me, it senses a lot. If there was someone with me that, for example, was holding me hostage. I use a different code- it recognizes this signal I have and just attacks whatever other life forms and ghost forms there are. If someone came in by force, they're automatically attacked. By the way, you can use your powers in here- the system knows your ectosignature so it won't attack. Feel free to use this as a training area. Just remember the code, Double D, 2, Jasmine and you'll be fine."

"How do I remember that," I scratched at my head, "And why do you have so much protection?"

"Double D is your nickname from me, it means Danny Dude. 2 is the number of people living here- you and me. Jasmine was your sister's name. I'm sure you can remember that. As for why I need protection- it's because of what I'm about to show and tell you. I'm only telling you this because frankly, now that you lost your memory and everyone is dead, no one else knows and that's kind of… annoying, I guess. I don't like keeping everything secrets. Besides, eventually, you'll start to question how I do certain things and how I pay for everything… Well this is how."

She typed something into a hidden pad on the wall. Another door revealed itself. She entered it, gesturing for me to follow her. I did so, a bit confused at what she was saying and what was happening.

"Code3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923."

She took a large breath of air before continuing,

"460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609433057270365759591953092186117381932611793105118548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011949129833673362440656643086021394946395224737190702179860943702770539217176293176752384674818467669405132, _Quam Tu._"

Gear took a breath of air,

"Sorry dude, that's the code that deactivates yet another set of weapons here."

"What's that number," I asked with wide eyes, "I recognize 3.14, that's pi, right?"

"Glad to see that you still remember your schooling," Gear laughed, "Those are the first 600 numbers of pi. Not many people know it, so it's safe to use. 'Sides there's a back-up. This code has to be said with my vocal recognition. It's all for safety."

I looked around. The room was a lot smaller than the other lab and a lot darker too. There was about ten to thirteen computer screens on a wall, two on the desk, and about three keyboards with two mice. There was a microphone and a small video camera on the desk as well. One wall had another set of computer screens. One wall had a lot of blue prints with odd designs on them with a table filled with gadgets against it. I turned to Gear,

"What is all this?"

"My work," Gear smiled, "Look dude, this might be a lot to take in so take a seat."

I took a seat in the wheelie chair, looking at Gear for an explanation. She put her goggles around her neck and ran a hand through her hair.

"Okay there's several things to explain. One, I have an IQ of over 200, know what that means? I'm wicked smart and hacking along with inventing is my specialty. I make money because I sell my inventions- not all of them and not the anti-ghost tech, but just some. Two, I also make money through a more, slightly illegal way."

"You don't do drugs, do you," I asked cautiously, eyeing her.

She laughed,

"No dude, not a chance! I hack into government systems- _a lot_. I've been doing it since I was like fifteen. Anyone who needs information that's hard to get to, knows me, but they don't know me by the name Gear."

She typed at one of the keyboards, one of the biggest screens lit up with the words_ Quam Tu _written in black. She gestured towards the screen,

"That's what they know me as- _Quam Tu._ It means _Smarter than you_. Anyway, so if people want, say, some other governments' secrets. They may look me up and I _know_ when people look me up, dude. If I'm interested, I contact them, strike a deal. I always get the info, hand it over, and in exchange, I get money or sometimes very valuable jewels or even rare metals. You'd be surprised at my clients."

She shrugged,

"Now don't get me wrong, I don't sell the wrong info to the wrong people, never have, never will. And there's not a single person that fake their way through one of _my_ background checks. I also specialize in anti-ghost tech- including this gun."

She grabbed one of the guns and twirled it,

"So… what do you think?"

I stared at her blankly. What did I think? Was it horrible? Cool? Scary? Finally, I grinned,

"Does this mean you can hack into the cameras in the girls' locker room?"

She smacked me upside the head, but I was still grinning.

"I honestly shouldn't have expected a different response," she laughed, "Now, there's another thing I have to tell you."

"There's more," I asked skeptically.

"Sorry dude," Gear shrugged, "But there's a reason we moved to Bayville out of all places."

"Why," I asked, cautious of what she might have planned.

"There's sort of this thing going around- all around the world, teens are getting these strange powers because of this gene that was hidden in their DNA. Some kids, when it's activated, may get fire powers. Some may look like a money. Who knows? The thing is, all these teens are contacted by the same people. I tracked it all down. Those people, Danny, are here. They have a school called Xavier's School For The Gifted."

I nodded slowly. What she was saying was more believable than ghosts.

"Uh-huh…And just what are these people called?"

"Mutants," she grinned, "And we moved here so I could get a better understanding of how this X-gene, if you will, works. Plus I want to make sure these kids aren't going to some bad school."

"And let me guess," I sighed, "You want me to go to the school undercover as a mutant?"

"Better. We're going to Bayville High where those students go to school… We're going to let _them_ contact _you."_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

**Danny:**

I couldn't believe that Gear was telling the truth. She really was _Quam Tu, _known and feared throughout the hacking world. She really was signing us up for high school. We really were going to wait for the mutant guys to contact me after hinting at mutant abilities. Though it had been a week since she told me the plan, I was still having trouble wrapping my mind around it. Then again, I supposed that none of it was weirder than waking up in the Ghost Zone with no memories.

Speaking of the Ghost Zone, I did ask Gear about it. She explained a lot to me. She might not tell me about my life- well about what happened to my family, friends, and even me, but she sure was willing to talk about the Ghost Zone. Funny, as soon as she started to say a few things it was like a wall was being lifted in my mind. I caught on pretty quickly and things about ghosts came back to me. Kind of weird how amnesia (though Gear insisted that it was related more to Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome than amnesia) worked. Though it was extremely weird to think I knew more about ghosts then I did myself. Gear insisted that it was normal- something about the mind always blocking more about yourself (I wasn't paying attention cause she babbled).

I shook my head. Either way today was the day I started at Bayville High School. I quickly got dressed. I changed into some normal jeans and that white and red shirt that I noticed when we first moved in. I walked downstairs and didn't see anyone. Was Gear still sleeping? I glanced at the clock. We had thirty minutes to get to school. Was that enough time? Shaking my head I ventured into a land that no man has gone before- Gear's bedroom. I desperately hoped that she wouldn't end me for looking into it- I said end because I was already dead.

I slowly opened the door, praying that she didn't have weaponry ready to shot if the password wasn't said. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for her to curse at me or some weapon to shot. There was nothing. Slowly opening my eyes and creaking the door open more so I could walk through, I looked around. Her bedroom was… more normal than I thought it would be. Unlike the rest of the house, her walls weren't gray. Well maybe they were, but it was hard to tell since every single inch of visible wall was covered with either a blueprint design, metal, or a computer screen (that was only on one wall actually). Aside from the blueprints, metal, the computer screens on one of the walls, and the various tools and gadgets laying around, it was a normal room. There was a large king-size bed with royal purple covers that didn't appear to have been slept in (Gear didn't strike me as the type to make her bed). Laying on it, aside from the pillows and the few gadgets, was a stuffed seal.

Raising an eyebrow, I picked up the seal. There was a small collar and tag on it. I read the tag, _Mr. Silkie._ I chuckled to myself.

"You put Mr. Silkie down, you intruder," a deadly voice said from behind me.

Gulping, I slowly turned, raising my hands to show in defense after I slowly put the stuffed animal back on its place on the bed. She stood there with her eyes narrowed and her arms across her chest.

"Touch Silkie again and you'll be an ectoplasmic stain, got it? Now let's go, we have school!"

She turned and left so I followed suit all the way to the truck.

"So where were you," I asked, "I checked the kitchen and living room that's why I went into your room."

"Two things dude. One, I was up all night- I usually do that. It's actually kind of rare for me to sleep since my mind's always on overdrive."

As a ghost, I didn't need to sleep anymore though I vaguely recalled something saying that newer ghosts did sleep to get energy so I might have to sleep soon. Though I knew Gear was a human (Grated, after hearing about the mutants and seeing some of her inventions I sometimes thought she was more mutant than human), and she needed her sleep. It wasn't healthy to go without sleep. I made a silent vow that whenever she does sleep to let her sleep and not disturb her.

"Two, one of the reasons I warned you to not go into my room is because a good portion of the time I don't bother with pajamas."

I looked at her horrified as she just laughed.

* * *

I had to wait out in the hall as Gear went inside to get our schedules. I recalled that our names (in the school system) was going to be Gywn Gia and Danny Tempest. According to her, it was her real name and she could use it since her real name was clean (apparently she just used alias names on almost everything else). It was a bit of a bummer 'cause I was kind of hoping that she would put my fake name as Danny Parker, I liked that last name. I wasn't even sure what she put for the rest of the information needed to enroll (except that she was going to a senior and I would be two years below her). She did briefly mention that we were going to be cousins (it took a lot of paperwork so that I had birth certificates all the way to fake doctor records). Of course, I did voice some concern- like what about her family finding out? Though according to her, all of her family members were dead. She was last Gia- her grandparents died a long time ago before she was born, her parents died when she was fourteen, and the only member aside from her that was alive was her abusive drunk uncle that according to her 'was dead to her.' I regretted asking not soon after that statement.

The cover story was that my father (and her uncle) 'Charles W. Tempest' was our guardian (she faked signatures _really_ well and as for the name, it didn't take a genius to figure out she based the name off of Clockwork) but he worked so much that Gear get registered as legally independent (oddly enough her real name Gywn Gia was registered to be legally independent and according to her it has been that way for a long time). Everything was going to work.

"Hello," someone greeted from behind me.

I turned to see a redheaded girl smiling at me. She looked to be about Gear's age, maybe a year behind.

"I'm Jean, you must be one of the new students? Don't worry, I'm with Student Council- I was one of the ones to help prepare your papers."

"Hey," I smiled and shook her hand, "Name's Danny."

"Well welcome to Bayville High, Danny. Do you have your schedule yet?"

"No," I rubbed at the back of my neck sheepishly, "My cousin is getting them."

At that moment, the door opened and Gear walked through. Honestly, I was a bit surprised now that I realized what she was wearing- jeans, a black tank top, combat boots, which was all normal and all until I saw that she was still wearing her yellow-tinted goggles, her metallic belt, and her metal arm band (both of which she had explained had various tools and internet access for cases and emergences). She was muttering to herself in a different language as she looked over the schedule. She handed me mine,

"Dude, you wouldn't believe the issues this school has and- oh hey."

She nodded towards Jean, who smiled back.

"You must be the other new student, Gywn Gia?"

"Gear," Gear corrected, "The nickname's Gear and I prefer to be called it."

"Gear," Jean asked skeptically.

"Yep. Long story short, I'm wicked sweet with tech."

The way she said it didn't sound smug, more that she was just stating a fact. Jean nodded politely and was about to say something, but a guy down at the end of the hall was calling her name causing her to run off. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Gear leaned over and whispered,

"That was one of the mutants- Jean Grey. Pretty sure she has telepathy and telekinesis though sources may be wrong. So when you're with her, feel free to think things that would hint that you're a mutant. I'll do the same- thinking you're a mutant I mean 'cause I ain't."

"Why can't you be," I asked curiously, "I mean, you're intelligence _has_ to be superhuman."

"Flattery gets your everywhere," Gear winked, "but nah- ain't my style. You, on the other hand, can totally pass for it. Now get to class Double D, don't want you getting in trouble on the first day. Shoo!"

She all but shoved me down the hall in the direction of my first class. I wondered if maybe, just maybe, the plan might work.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**Third Person:**

"I don't know Scott," Jean said cautiously, "something about him seems off."

Scott looked over at her curiously.

"Off? Like mutant off? Wouldn't Professor pick him up though?"

Jean shook her head, unable to really explain what she felt. Danny's mind, she had realized, she couldn't read. It wasn't like there was wall, but more like it was _blurred_ like his mind was dead but there was still activity like something was keeping it alive. As for what the activity was, she couldn't tell. Though Scott was right. If he was a mutant then Professor would have picked him up.

"But what if his powers aren't totally active yet," Jean questioned.

"It's possible," Scott nodded, "I doubt it, but it could be possible. I still say you're saying it cause the kid gives you the creeps."

He playfully nudged her and she shivered.

"Yeah, well… He is a bit different."

She had to admit that the kid did creep her out- he seemed too calm, too organized. His eyes showed pain, but it was like they were dead- she hardly saw him blink. He didn't make a single sound, however, when he breathed- _if_ he breathed, Jean realized. If he was a mutant, it was possible that his mutation caused him to not breath or seem dead. She rubbed her chin in thought. She was shook out of her thoughts as the classroom door opened, revealing the strange Gywn girl.

Gywn was… Jean wasn't too sure what to think of her (aside that the fact that all the guys in class were ogling over her currently made Jean a bit upset- though Jean couldn't blame them, Gywn's tank top did nothing to hide her perfect hourglass figure or the bit of cleavage at the top). Jean focused her thoughts to try and get a read on Gywn. She hissed, however, as Gywn's thoughts were too quick- hard to keep track of. Not early as fast as Quicksilver's, obviously, but faster than a normal human's. Gywn briefly looked up and made eye contact with Jean and almost immediately, the thoughts slowed down.

_'If what they say about this place is true then it's sure to be safe for Danny here….'_

Gear smirked- purposefully thinking that line to get Jean to think about Danny being a mutant. She then shook her head and her thoughts resumed to their normal pace- fast, quick, complex, and occasionally thought in just numbers as if in some sort of code. By Jean's confused look, Gywn guessed the mind reader couldn't keep up. She turned to the teacher as he addressed her.

"You be the new student. Please introduce yourself to the class and something about you."

"Hey," Gear gave a mock two-finger salute, "Name's Gywn Gia, but I insist that you all call me Gear- it's my nickname and I really don't like being called anything besides that. I love technology, inventing, and people."

She winked at the students- not particularly the boys, but just everyone in general as she hinted that people meant something more (it reminded Jean of how Kitty would say '_boys'_).

"Excellent, now any questions for the new student?"

Gear nearly groaned in despair at the hands that went up. She didn't have the patience for something like this- or school in general. She didn't really see a need for school if she knew what she already needed to know.

The teacher called on one of the hands. It was one of the guys. Gear looked him over for a second before winking at him, causing him to blush.

"I-I-uhh…. where are you f-from?"

"Illinois, nothing too exciting," Gear shrugged, masking her lie easily with her bored poker face.

"Why the name Gear," one of the other students called out.

Gear grinned slightly. _I am loving this school- everyone here is smokin'. _Jean, hearing that thought above all others, raised an eyebrow.

"Well, ya see, I have a knack for tech," Gear tapped her belt, "I love working on things- cars, cycles, and anything and everything. I do a lot of complex web designing too. Since tech is my life, a friend kind of gave me the nickname Gear. It kind of stuck."

"I heard there was a new junior," one of the smarter female students said, "You two seemed close. Are you dating?"

Gear laughed loudly.

"Nah, Double D's family. He's my cousin."

Gear looked to the teacher,

"Can I sit down, dude?"

The teacher's eye twitched slightly before nodding as he gestured towards an empty seat in the back. All of the guys' eyes followed Gear as she walked to the back, a swing in her step. She sat down and winked at any of the guys that were still staring- causing most of them to look away quickly. _She is…something,_ Jean thought a bit ticked, something about Gear reminding her a bit of Boom-Boom with the carefree attitude. Though it was a bit obvious that Gear had more self-control and maturity than Boom-Boom- not by much, Jean soon realized, but a bit.

* * *

Kurt balanced a pencil on his nose out of boredom, but it soon fell when the door to the classroom opened. He looked curiously as a guy walked in. He was obvious his age- sixteen. He was a bit tall and muscular, wearing simple jeans and a white shirt with a red oval in the center. There were two things that stood out the most- his odd colored eyes and the odd colored hair (and by extension, the haircut).

"Nice hair dude," Kurt smiled with a thumbs up.

He turned and smiled briefly with a nod before turning to the teacher.

"You must be the new student," Mrs. Wayne said, "Daniel Tempest?"

"Danny please," Danny smiled as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

Kitty got 'hearts in her eyes.' _Like wow… _Kurt just scoffed, not really seeing why Kitty appeared to be getting so attracted to the newbie. Danny just smiled at everyone a bit sheepishly. Mrs. Wayne smiled,

"Please, tell us about yourself Danny. I'm sure you're new peers would love to know more about you."

Danny rubbed his chin in thought, knowing that there wasn't much he could say- not just because it was a cover but also because he didn't really remember much of his life aside from stuff he was told (and none of that could be said).

"Well… I live with my older cousin, who is a senior that just enrolled here too. Her name's Gywn Gia… I love astronomy and the paranormal…"

_Paranormal, haha cause I'm a ghost… I just a made an inside joke,_ Danny thought as he mentally laughed.

"Aside from that, not too much to know," he shrugged, "Sorry."

"That's perfectly alright, Mr. Tempest," Mrs. Wayne smiled, "Please take the empty beside Kitty."

Kitty's hand shot up quickly as Kurt, sitting behind her, rolled his eyes. Danny smiled thankfully and took the empty seat. He turned to Kitty with a smile.

"Hey, I'm Danny, nice to meet you."

"Like, I know," Kitty whispered tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "I'm Kitty."

"That's a cool name," Danny mused before turning his attention to the teacher, unaware that he just gained an admirer.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 8:**

**Danny:  
**Even after two weeks of being in Bayville, it was still hard for me to believe that those people were mutants. Those people, I meant, were obviously Jean, Scott, Kitty, Kurt, and Rogue. There were more, I was sure and Gear told me so herself. Yet those were the ones I ran into the most, I even dared to consider Kurt, Kitty and Rogue a friend. I got along well with Jean and Scott, but Scott seemed a bit too uptight for my tastes. Granted, I got along a lot better with them all than Gear did. Somehow, Gear managed to piss Jean off a few times and how she did it was still unclear. According to Gear, it was because Jean 'wasn't clear that he was hers.' According to Jean it was because 'Gear had yet to learn the boundaries of flirting.' If I had to guess, I'd say that Gear flirted with Scott- but it was not a surprise. Gear managed to flirt with anything and everything- regardless of their gender or sex.

I laid down on my bed and slowly closed me eyes. A lot ran through my mind. I was still desperately wishing to remember my old life, fully not just things that I was told (and Gear wouldn't even tell me _everything)._ I wanted to remember who I was before I died and I wanted to remember _how_ I died, more so I wanted to know how my _family and friends_ died. At the same time, I still didn't want to know. I liked living here in Bayville, I was Danny Tempest. I wasn't a ghost. I wasn't a hero. I was just a normal teenager and it was a foreign feeling, but at the same time it felt nice. If I knew everything then I might… I might want to leave. I didn't really want to leave, but if memories became too much I might have to. I wasn't ready for that… Gear said not to rush into things and hopefully my memories would come back soon. A part of me wished that they never came back.

With my memories lost, I had no idea who I was- favorite color, food, music, _anything_ small like that. Here, however, I knew. I was Danny Tempest, cousin to Gear. I was making _new_ memories as if rewriting the old, making new friends and I had a new family. If I knew who I was before all this then… I wouldn't be Danny _Tempest_. I would be back to being Danny _Fenton_ (and _Phantom)_ and Danny Tempest would be just an alias.

I sighed and tried to get some sleep, only for some nightmares to return to me.

_The men in the white suits leaned over me. I struggled against some type of restraints on my wrists and ankles. I was vaguely aware of the band around my waist too._

_"Strike 1," one of the men sneered._

_Electricity shot through my veins. A feeling that I had been electrocuted before came briefly, but I was mostly aware of the pain- the searing, pain. After a second, it stopped and I panted heavily._

_"You have two strikes left, scum. The next strike will be higher voltage, we'll see how much you can endure…"_

_His voice sounded different… Like an echo as if I wasn't fully awake. Two more strikes? What did he mean?_

_"W-What," I croaked, my voice raspy and sore, "D-did I d-d-do w-wro-wrong?"_

_The men laughed at me. _

_"Easy, scum, you're an abomination- and a freak like you is useful for study."_

_So I was being tortured just for living? _

_"Now hold still," one of the men sneered._

_The next thing I knew a scalpel was cutting into my flesh. I found a new meaning to the word pain as my flesh was ripped open._

_"There," one of the men said, "That must be the core."_

_He poked a spot into of me, causing frost to appear at my fingertips and a cold pain flooded me. _

_"Try that."_

_My ghost form was forcibly turned back into human as they poked another spot._

_"Add more electric shocks."_

_It sounded almost like thunder and all I saw was a few flashes like lightening._

I woke up screaming, clutching my chest as tears swelled in my eyes. _What type of nightmare was that?_ I looked down at my chest. I rubbed a finger over the scars.

"Or was it a memory…?"

"What's going on," Gear screeched as she ran through the door, making me wish I had a 'human' sense as well as a 'ghost' sense.

She had an anti-ghost gun in one hand and the other held a real gun. Her eyes were narrowed and were fierce. However, it was hard for me to take her serious when she was dressed in a black nightgown that had the _Ghostbusters_ symbol on it- not to mention her bed head and the fuzzy bunny slippers. I took one look at her before I laughed. I clutched my sides and was still laughing as she stood there with a hand on her hip, putting the guns away.

"Haha, laugh it up, _Casper_. _I ain't afraid of no ghost."_

I bit my lip to keep from laughing- it didn't work. She finally just shook her head with a laugh too,

"Good to know you still know that stuff- media and all that shit. So, Double D, what was with the screaming? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to though."

I looked at Gear and sighed. Did I want to tell her? I should since it might be important.

"I…It was a nightmare, that's it," I said, telling partially the truth, not hinting that it may have been a memory.

"Alright," Gear nodded, "You know what's the cure for nightmares right?"

"No," I looked her cautiously.

"Video games, duh," she stuck out her tongue, "Check the living room- there's a game system out there and there's a few computer games on your PC too. Go, get happy, get some rest…"

She started for the door, stopping to turn back towards me one last time,

"If I can hear from my lab, then I know damn well it wasn't a normal nightmare… So if you ever want to talk or shit, I'm here."

"Thanks Gear," I smiled.

"No problem, Double D. Big sis gotta look out for her little bro, ya know?"

"Yeah," I smiled, "I know…"


	10. Chapter 9

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 9:**

**Danny:**

I would say I was confused, but I was more than that- _more than just confused._ Like confused was barely scraping the surface of the absolute befuddlement I felt when I walked downstairs the next morning, prepared to for the second day of school, to find Gear on the couch in the living room with an empty beer bottle and turning some sort of ring in her hand. She didn't even look up as I sat down next to her, concerned as I saw even more empty beer bottles on the floor. There was about 11 other cans of beer beside the one in her hand.

Her head was down, her purple hair falling limp in front of her face.

"Hey Gear," I asked gently as I put a hand on her shoulder, "You okay?"

"Am I o-okay," she laughed and I could smell a bit of alcohol on her breath.

"I'm dannddy," Gear scowled.

"Gear," I said firmly, "Why were you drinking? Last I checked you still had to be twenty-one to drink."

"And lasstt I checked you had to be alive to go to schoollll but nooo," Gear sloppily waved a finger at me, "Y-You're deaddd mistterrr…"

I ignored the small jab of pain that shot through me as she said that. She sniffled and grabbed my shoulders,

"Duudeee you're dead…..Why are you dead….You can't be dead….I wasss supposed to protect you….I tried tooo savvee you…. But damn….Why couldn't I save you?"

Tears welled in her eyes and I felt cold to the bone. What did she mean? Did she…Did she see me die? I knew she knew how I died, but did she actually_ see it? _Did she try to save me and fail? I wasn't too sure what to do though since Gear didn't really seem the type to cry. She looked at the ring she was holding and put in my hands.

"I found this in onee off the boxes," she slurred, "Dooo you see this? Jazzy gave me this for my seventeenth birthday. She said that she'lll always be with mee and…she lied…"

She started to sob. I looked down at the ring. It was a simple metallic design with a purple gemstone in the center. On the inside there was an engraving, _Always with you twinny ~Jazz._ Why did it say twinny?

"We called each other twinny," Gear sobbed, "Cause we bothhhh had red hair…"

"Gear," I said I stood up, "Come on, let's get you to bed. You're not going to school today."

"Noo," Gear said, "I have work to do."

Before I could stop her, she stumbled as she ran towards the lab. I didn't even had to jog to keep up with her because she kept tripping. I tried to get her to go to her bedroom, but she kept refusing. I remembered that the code was _Double D, 2, Jasmine_ so at least I could deactivate the weapons. Still, a lab wasn't the safest place for a drunk inventor. She opened the door with ease.

"Coodddee Double D, 2, Jasmine," Gear said without missing a beat.

My eyes widened just a fraction that she could remember the code. She waved me off,

"Goooo I'll be f-fine… I drrinnnkkk I a lot, dude…. Kinda hafta…"

Hesitantly, I left though I knew I would be considered about my older sister figure at school. Shaking my head, I just went ahead and flew invisible to school, finding a safe place to turn visible again. I ran out from the corner and ran into Kurt. I didn't feel a thing, but considering that Kurt landed on his butt with a loud THUD then I guessed that he did feel it.

"Hey man, watch we're going," Kurt complaining as he rubbed his head.

Wincing, I stuck out my hand. He took as I helped him up,

"Sorry, I was in a hurry. Though I'd be late cause Gear couldn't drive me."

"Oh really? Just why can't your hot cousin drive you?"

I narrowed my eyes,

"Careful Kurt," I said warned, "She's also like my older sister….And she's got the flu."

"Oh yikes," Kurt winced and then held up his hands in defense, "I didn't mean anything, man, I swear. But you have to admit that your cousin is a bit nice-looking."

"She's my cousin, when I look at her all I see is oil and explosions," I scoffed.

"Oil and…explosions?"

"You don't want to know, trust me… So class?"

"Ah-jah, class, sure…"

Kurt still looked confused as I smiled happily, eagerly heading to class with my trickster friend.

* * *

All throughout class, my thoughts strayed to Gear. Was she doing okay? Would I come back home to find her dead because of a drunk experiment? Why didn't she tell me that she had a habit to drink? She could hurt herself. I hoped she didn't do drugs as well. That would be rough and I wasn't too sure how to really deal with that, what could I do to help her if she did? Send her away? No, she wouldn't let me- even if I reported her. Get her to go to a counselor? No, she wouldn't go unless I overshadowed her and left her body when we got there. That might work… _I think maybe I can set up an appointment with those Alcoholic Anonymous things because she said she drank a lot._

I shook my head. Whatever happened, happened. If she wanted help, I'd give it to her. No- if she _needed_ help because she was too proud to ask for help herself.

"Hey man," a guy called behind me.

I turned to see Lance. He was an ass, I'd admit that much- but he was okay if he was around Kitty- not _good_, but tolerable. That was only at school though- I haven't seen him outside of school. Actually, I haven't really seen anyone outside of school aside from Kitty and Kurt- that was when I caught them at the pizza place though. Lance just stood there with a smirk and his arms crossed.

"When's that cousin of yours coming back? She's pretty hot, wouldn't mind giving her a ride."

My fists clenched. I hated when people talked about Gear in that tone- she didn't mind. She didn't give a flying frick that people sexualized her unless they said something to her face that was demeaning. I, however, cared- _a lot_. She was like my sister. I glared at Lance and I felt my eyes shift- shift into what I wasn't sure. Either way, he took a step back in mild surprise. He smirked,

"So, you're a mutant too then?"

I was glad that the halls were empty, but on the other hand I wasn't glad. He admitted to being a mutant- Gear never told me he was one. Did she even know? Of course she knew, she was Gear. She knew _everything_. I briefly spotted Kurt down the hall, hiding and watching us. _Good._ Lance did _something_ as he put his arms up, causing the building to shake. It didn't phase me or even knock me off balance. I walked calmly towards him, using my flight to keep my balance, but I didn't use enough flight to make it noticeable. I lit up a green ecto-blast in my hand as it curled into a fist. Lance, taken off guard, took a step back as I stood threateningly in a fighting stance. My fist was raised so he could clearly see the green ecotenergy.

"Don't talk about her like that," I growled as I used my other fist to send a swift punch to his jaw.

I walked away, not wanting to really get into a fight. Plus, I needed to calm down. My heart was still thumping wildly in my chest from adrenaline.

"Woah," I heard Kurt whisper.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

**Third Person:**

Professor Xavier looked at Jean curiously. Beside him, Logan stood with his arms crossed while Storm just stood calmly. Jean felt it was time to ask the Professor about Danny- maybe he knew about some new mutant? As noticed by most of the mutants at Bayville High, Danny was… _weird._ Half the time, he was either really nice or he was pretty out-there and strange. He never seemed to make a sound when he walked or even breathed- if he even breathed that was.

His cousin Gear was at least _sort of normal_- she was loud, she made noise, she was blunt, a bit _sultry_ at time. She acted like a normal person her age should act, granted they noticed she was _very intelligent_ and most kids her age didn't run around with so much technology at their disposal. Jean, however, didn't like the way Gear also proved to be a bit of a flirt and a tease.

"Danny… He's just…really creepy," Jean continued, "And I don't think it's contacts in his eyes, Professor. I seriously think he is a mutant. I… I looked into his mind…"

The Professor narrowed his eyes,

"Now Jean even if someone is creepy, you shouldn't poke around in their heads. It is their minds, after all."

"I know Professor but I didn't sense much- it wasn't like he was purposely blocking me and I could get bits and pieces. The stuff I did get from him hint that he is hiding something professor, even his cousin has had a few thoughts that have been suspicious- well, what I could understand from her mind."

"You can't read either of their minds, fully," Xavier asked mildly shocked.

"Well, with Danny it's like his brain is dead but there's still activity. For Gywn, pardon she prefers Gear."

Jean momentarily scowled before continuing,

"Her brain, it's like there's _too much_ activity. I can't make sense of anything then sometimes she's thinking in numbers like some sort of computer."

"That _is_ a bit unsettling," the Professor mused, "But we do not know for sure…"

At that moment, Kurt poofed into the roof. He looked around apologetically,

"Sorry for disturbing Professor. But I saw a new mutant!"

The Professor leaned forward in his chair,

"Do tell, Kurt."

"It is Danny, Professor!"

Jean and Scott looked at each other with smug grins. Kurt rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly,

"I saw him use these energy blasts! He's a mutant, Professor! He can join us, right?"

Kurt looked at the Professor with pleading eyes. Danny was a good friend to Kurt and if Danny was a mutant, that just made the friendship stronger. Still, the energy blasts he saw was unlike anything he had seen before. Though he did know one thing- seeing Danny angry was something he did not want to see again.

* * *

Danny ran a hand through what hair he had as he entered the house. He hoped that his plan worked- that using his powers at the school in front of Kurt would lure them to ask him to join. Then he could be a spy for Gear- well, a sort of spy. As soon as he entered the house, he saw Gear on the couch with a glass of water in her hands. She looked up at Danny- her eyes showed clear signs of how tired she was. Her skin seemed a bit paler than usual and she seemed to like that 'Gear-spark'- all her energy seemed drained. A half-eaten sandwich was on a paper plate on the table. That was the weirdest thing to Danny- _she always finished her food and she never had leftovers._

All day, Gear had been in her lab watching video feeds from the school. She even worked for a bit before she fell asleep at around ten and just woke up about thirty minutes ago. She spent those minutes getting a shower, making something to eat (and regretted it since it made her feel a bit worse), got some meds and a water, and went over the video footage that she missed. So by the time Danny got home, _she knew what happened._

She smirked at Danny,

"Hey Double D… From what I remember, you were the one to find me drunk so sorry you had to see that… I hacked into the school cameras though. Saw what happened- that was smart of you… Glad to see you're using that brain of yours for once."

"Hey!"

She winced.

"Dude, headache, hangover… Please don't shout… Look, until they come contact us here's not too much we can do. However, there are two things I'd like to say."

Gear motioned for him to take a seat and so he did. She hit him upside the head,

"Never tell someone a gal has the flu- they imagine things coming from both ends and it's not pretty. So next time I don't come in, I'd rather you say that I am not feeling well, got it?"

Danny nodded. Next, Gear looked at him so intensely that he was the first to look away. She was still staring,

"Second, on the cameras, dude, when you were angry, your eyes turned _red_."

Danny looked at her confused. _Red? My eyes turned red?_ Gear just continued to stare,

"Because of that, I'll ask you a series of questions."

"…okay?"

"Do you think humans are bad? Have you ever felt the need to destroy humanity? Do you have any plans for world domination? What are your feelings towards toast?"

Danny just blinked at her blankly, unsure as to what was happening, but judging by Gear's look- she was serious. She even pressed a button on her belt that turned on its _Plasmius Maximus_ feature- ghosts would be unable to touch her.

"Some humans are. No. I don't even have plans for the weekend. And I hate it- I don't know why, but toast is evil."

Gear nodded with a smile as she turned off the feature on the belt. She put a hand on his shoulder,

"When you get your memories back, you'll understand why I felt compelled to ask those questions."

_Granted if he was Dan, he would have been more angry than confused, plus if he was Dan I'd fight him till my last breath. _Without an explanation, Gear just stood up and headed towards her bedroom.

"Gear? What was that about? Where are you going? GEAR!?"

"Dude," Gear groaned and grabbed her head, "What part of _headache and hangover_ do you not understand? I'm just going to my bedroom. _Chill_…"


	12. Chapter 11

**Author Note: I tried updating earlier today but my laptop wasn't letting me on this website for some reason? That was since maybe 10 in the morning, but now (roughly 12 hours later), it's working fine!? Weird.  
Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 11:**

**Danny:**

That morning, I woke up around one in the afternoon. I slept in, but it wasn't really my fault. I stayed up the previous night training with my powers and it was the weekend after all. After I took my shower, I stood there staring at myself in the mirror. I stared at the scars on my chest. As I traced my finger down one of the scars, I knew that they had to be by the people who did this to me. Gear wouldn't tell me who they were, if she knew. She knew how I died, but did she know who killed me? I shook my head and got dressed, trading the white shirt out for a black t-shirt today. I sniffed the air. _Oh that smells good…_

I walked downstairs. Gear never cooked- nevertheless on a weekend. So there was two questions on my still-half asleep mind. _What smells so good and who's really cooking? _I yawned and stretched as I continued to the kitchen.

I stopped in surprise as I saw Gear. She wasn't cooking. She wasn't even dressed. She was just sitting on the couch calmly in just her normal _Ghostbusters_ t-shirt that reached her knees and a cup of coffee in her hand. That wasn't what shocked me. What shocked me was the other people on the couch- Jean and Scott. Plus there was a fellow in a wheelchair sitting across from them. As their eyes turned to me, I suddenly felt self-cautious and wished that I could be as care-free as Gear looked at the moment. She smiled and gave a mock salute,

"Sup, Double D? Don't worry I slept in too- only woke up from these guys ringing the doorbell. Anyway, Danny this is Professor Xavier from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

"Ah Daniel," the guy in the wheelchair said, "it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard extravagant things about you."

Gear winced at his wording and something about the way he said it made me wince too- like I heard someone speak like that before, someone I didn't like. I shook my head,

"Danny, please. So what's this about?"

I took a seat next to Gear. Scott and Jean smiled, as did the Professor. I got excited. Was this it? Were they going to ask me to join? I was practically bouncing in my seat.

"Danny, I'm sure you're aware that you have abilities. Abilities that not average people have," Professor X explained, "We'd like you to know that you are not alone in this. There are other people with abilities as well- Jean, Scott, and even myself have abilities. But we use our powers for good and we learn how to control it at my school. Danny, I'd like to invite you there as well. A place where you can use your power freely and learn how to control it."

Jean gave a small smile,

"Danny, if we may, what can you do?"

I looked over to Gear briefly, she gave me a small nod of approval and I stood up. I held out my hands and created an ectoblast briefly before making it vanish. Jean smiled,

"That's a very impressive power, Danny."

"I'm not done," I said sheepishly.

Jean, Scott, and even Professor X looked mildly surprised. I swear I heard Gear curse under her breath about something. I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly as I turned indivisible. Jean gasped softly. Gear still looked grumpy but that may have been because her coffee had milk in it when she usually took it black (it didn't look as dark as usual which means that Jean and the others brought it over as a sort of 'peace treaty' or someone at the café got the order wrong). I knew that being in pajamas wouldn't stop Gear from going to the café if it meant she could get her coffee.

"Invisibility and energy blasts," Professor X muttered, "Interesting."

I reappeared,

"That's not all."

Gear swore again under her breath. I didn't see what the big deal was. They were mutants and I was posing as a mutant. We all had powers. I phased my arm through Gear and wiggled my fingers.

"Intangibility and I can also fly," I explained.

Gear leaned forward while my arm was still through her torso.

"Most mutants only have two powers at the most, so shut up now… And get your damn hand out of my stomach!"

I quickly retreated my hand out of her as she shivered. She rubbed her stomach with one hand,

"That was too many levels of creepy… Honestly Double D, don't do that again."

"A mutant with four powers," Professor X said, "Fascinating. So what do you say Danny, would you like to join as at the Institute to work on your powers?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure! I'd love to!"

"And you don't have any powers, do you Gywn," Jean asked, though something in her tone sounded a bit smug.

Gear smirked,

"It's _Gear_ and unless you count being smarter than over half the planet a power, then no."

"Half the planet," I asked confused.

"IQ over 200 dude, and that was when I was like fifteen- only got smarter since then. I'm a certified genius, _legally._"

Unlike Jean, Gear didn't really sound that smug- though a bit arrogant. Her tone was more of 'stating a fact' than 'I'm better than you.' Professor X looked impressed,

"That is quite impressive, Gywn was it?"

"Gear," Gear corrected, "I prefer to be called Gear because of my hobbies with mechanics and technology. But that's not exactly what we're discussing right now. I'd be more than thankful for you taking this trouble maker off my back."

She ruffled my hair with a sisterly smile. I smiled back, but protested the hair ruffling slightly.

"Hey," I protested, "Not the hair!"

She raised her hands in defense,

"My bad… Danny, dude, you wanna go pack now?"

"Pardon," Professor X said, "But we still need to see a guardian and discuss it with them."

"Sorry Prof," Gear smirked, "But I am Danny's guardian- sort of. I mean, our guardian is always gone so I take full responsibility for him. So after we eat and he packs, I'll take him up to he Institute- it's the one on that funky hill, isn't it? Is it alright if I take a look as well so I know my little cousin slash bro will be alright?"

I had to hand it to Gear, she had a good way of casually slipping things into a conversation if she wanted to. Now she could take a look at the place herself and deem it good or bad. Professor X nodded slowly,

"Very well…"

Soon after that, they left and I turned to Gear,

"So that smell…?"

"Chinese food, it's in the kitchen. "

I dashed to the kitchen where the food was at and I licked my lips. _Spring rolls- yum._ I stashed a few spring rolls in my mouth- by a few I meant all three of them as I filled a paper plate up with food (Careful to leave some for Gear since it was obvious she hadn't eaten yet- there was too much food). I didn't really have to eat, but it smelt _really_ good.

"Oh and Danny dude," Gear said as she walked into the kitchen, "Don't touch the spring rolls- I called dibs and they're my favorite. Sides not like you really need to eat…"

She looked up and stared at me. I stared right back in absolute horror. The spring rolls were sticking out my mouth. I quickly swallowed them. Gear's face was pure hatred.

"You little shit."


	13. Chapter 12

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 12:**

**Third Person:**

_This is cool as shit, _Gear thought as she pulled up the elegant mansion. Danny sat beside her in the passenger seat, just as excited if not more so. Gear smiled slightly,

"Remember Double D, we don't know if this place is good or bad. So…"

"Don't get too excited," Danny finished, "I know, I know, but really… Is it that bad to get really excited to meet people like me?"

Gear sighed sadly as she parked the car out front. She turned to Danny and put a hand on his shoulder,

"Look dude, I know you're excited for this- Hell, I am too. But you have to remember- _they are not like you._ Yes, they have powers. Yes, they may be good people. But you are…"

"Dead," Danny said with a huff as he crossed his arms, "I'm dead. I'm a ghost. I know, but honestly Gear couldn't you just let me have this moment?"

"Sorry dude, I'm a realist. Gotta see things for what they are, not how you want them to be. If you fool yourself into thinking you can act like you're a normal kid all the way, you're hurting yourself and you're not coming to peace with your death or some shit."

Gear felt a bit guilty as she saw a spark disappear from Danny's eyes. She had to be honest and blunt though, that was the only way to get through to people. She frowned for a moment before she smiled,

"Hey, no time for mushy shit. Let's get this show on the road, dude. I'll grab some of your bags."

"The bags are heavy."

"That's why I said _some_ not _all._ We aren't all strong as you, _Casper."_

Gear was quick to be the first out of the truck. Danny noticed that when Gear said she would get some of the bags, she meant the two lightest ones, leaving him to carry the trunk. She smiled cheekily as he rolled his eyes. Kurt and Evan ran up to them. Evan smirked at Gear, looking her over slightly. Kurt hugged Danny tightly,

"Hey man, I'm glad you are here! Professor sent me to show you to your room! Ah, Gear- Evan said he can show you around."

Evan smirked at Gear and she just winked. Danny bit back a groan. _Geesh, you can't leave her around anybody- she flirts with anything organic and can talk- well aside from parrots and those talking dogs…Haha talking dogs…_ Kurt took the bags away from Gear and ran off with Danny. Gear turned to Evan and smiled,

"So, that tour?"

"Right this way, _my lady,"_ Evan said jokingly with a bow.

He smiled brightly when she laughed and grabbed his arm,

"Of course, _my lord."_

* * *

Kurt wasted no time in dragging Danny up to where his bedroom was. He put the bags on one of the beds and Danny set the trunk down. It was a pretty normal room with two beds, a large window and a small balcony. The only thing that seemed a bit out of place was that the room was extremely messy on one side (obviously Kurt's side). Kurt spun around dramatically,

"Ta-da! We're room-mates!"

The word _room-mates_ made Danny tense slightly. If he had a roommate, how was he going to contact Gear to give her information about the school and about mutants (school was too public)? How was he going to pass off as human? And what about his nightmares/memories that he occasionally got? Somehow, he managed to smile,

"That's awesome! Always wanted a roommate."

"I know right," Kurt said excitedly, "And now the two best pranksters in history are together!"

The two boys high-fived with a loud cry of '_yeah!'_ Though Danny still couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"Ah, you gotta meet the others!"

Kurt disappeared with a _poof_, making Danny jump slightly. _Invisibility? No, there wouldn't be a poof… Teleportation most likely._ Kurt reappeared with another _poof_.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!"

Kurt grabbed Danny's wrist and dragged me out of the room. On the way, they passed Rogue, who gave Danny a nod,

"Nice to see ya- tell ya cousin to stop flirtin' with everybody. It's getti' weird."

Rogue shook her head as she walked away, muttering to herself,

"Ah swear, that girl has no limits… Flirtin' with Kitty, Evan, and then some…"

Danny sighed. _That's Gear for ya. Flirts with everything and sometimes doesn't know the limits._ Danny got free of Kurt's grip and headed downstairs. Sure enough, he found Gear flirting with Evan.

"Gear," Danny said with an exasperated tone, "Stop flirting with everything that walks and then some."

"Not on your life," Gear said with a wink, "It's in my nature to flirt. But hey, if anyone is uncomfortable- they just gotta tell me, ya know."

Evan leaned back,

"Trust me, I'm not uncomfortable."

Danny's eyes flashed red slightly, making Evan jump and nearly fall off the couch. Gear just frowned as Danny hoisted her up off the couch,

"You're making everyone else uncomfortable, plus you're my _cousin_, and like an older sister… It's weird to see you flirt."

Gear simply just shrugged as the Jean's voice was heard from another room, calling for Danny and Gear. Gear started to follow Danny out of the room when she turned to face Evan. She clicked her tongue with a wink and made a '_call-me'_ motion with one hand before entering the next room. _I hope the kid knows I'm not serious. _She shook the serious thought of her head as she turned her attention to the Professor, Jean, and another fellow she didn't recognize.

"That's Logan," Professor X explained, "He's one of the teachers here… Now, Danny, I take it you are indeed staying here?"

Gear scoffed slightly,

"We brought his bags and stuff here, course it's a yes. But there is something I would like to mention…"

Professor X simply raised an eyebrow and Gear stared at him intensely. She narrowed her eyes.

"His _mutation_ causes abnormal biological anomalies that are hard to…work with, so to say. I, however, have known about his _mutation_ long enough to work with these abnormalities in a way that I can still tell what's wrong with him."

"What are these abnormalities," the Professor X asked.

"A bit harder to explain without most of it going over people's heads," Gear said easily, "I mean, I can get into details, but really- it's just… Well, I have somewhere to be and explaining would take too long. The gist of it is that he should be dead- the abnormalities he has shouldn't be possible, but they are. I'm not a certified doctor, but I am a certified genius who checked into some different medical degrees when she got bored. So when I say this next part, know that I am dead serious- _if he ever gets hurt, even if it's the slightest little thing and you think he needs to go to a doctor… Call me._ I'll check up on him."

"We have a doctor who is perfectly able to-"

"-No," Gear said, cutting him off as she crossed her arms, "He may be perfectly capable of a living subject, but Danny's body operates like a…_ghost_ so to say. A normal doctor can't operate on a ghost. I can. Please, call me."

She smirked and Danny tensed as she said all that. The hidden joke between the two didn't go unnoticed by him- _'like a ghost'_ because he _was_ a ghost. Though he had to hand it to Gear, she probably solved any future problems that may have caused if he got injured. And he wouldn't be able to explain it as easily and smoothly as she did which would probably raise suspicion.

Gear looked at the clock,

"And that's my cue to leave. I have a therapy session that I need to attend to so…"

_Therapy session,_ Danny thought confused, _Oh…She means that alcoholic anonymous thing I signed her up for…_ That thought made Professor X raise an eyebrow. Gear quickly left after ruffling Danny's hair,

"You have fun, Double D. Don't pick on the other kids, unless they pick on you. Then you have to kick the other kid's butt."

"Gee thanks for the advice…"


	14. Chapter 13

**Author Note: So glad you guys like this story- so far the outline I have for it is about 26 chapters long plus the epilogue so this is gonna be some fic. And I'm also happy so many people got the Mulan reference.  
Please review! Reviews make my day a lot more happy!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 13:**

**Danny:**

After just a weekend at the place, I felt I belonged. For the first time, I actually felt like I belonged somewhere. I was always a bit out of place with Gear- don't get me wrong, I loved her and all, but there was always something _tense_ in the air between us because she knew what I was. Here, people assumed I was a mutant like them. It was so convincing that for a moment, I forgot I wasn't a mutant and the reality of it set in- I was just a ghost that was tricking them, acting human, acting _alive._

I sighed deeply. The people here were so nice- I desperately wished I was just a mutant and not a ghost, not…_dead… _Though I did realize something, I was pretty sure Gear was wrong to have suspicions of this place. They were nice and didn't seem evil- unless you counted how Kurt and I prank people. _Gear is wrong, this is a good place… Man, she won't be happy that she was wrong._

I walked downstairs and ran into Kitty- literally. She fell on the ground,

"Hey! Like watch where you're going!"

"Sorry Kitty," I said with a wince as I reached down to help her up.

She looked mildly surprised that it was me. She sheepishly took my hand and I hoisted her back to her feet.

"Like hey! What's up, Danny? Kurt said you joined up, but like, I wasn't sure… So what's your power?"

A few mutants nearby (I was pretty sure one was named Sam and another was Julibee but I wasn't too sure since I was still learning names) stopped momentarily. They looked at me with curiosity. I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. If Gear had told me that it was rare to have more than two powers, I would have kept my mouth shut. Still, there was no turning back now.

"I have a few," I admitted sheepishly.

"Woah dude," Kurt said as he appeared next to me, "Really?"

"Yeah, aside from flight, I can do this."

I turned invisible and then reappeared. The other mutants were smiling and giving me a thumbs up. I took that as encouragement to continue.

"And I can this."

I put my arm through Kurt. He shivered,

"Creepy man."

"Like hey, I can do that too," Kitty said cheerfully.

"Last but not least," I said dramatically as I took my arm out o Kurt.

I lit up an ectoblast in my hands. Kurt whistled, as did a few others. I extinguished the ectoblast and bowed jokingly.

"That's cool man, but it's nothing compared to the fuzzy man," Kurt said as he messed with his watch.

I watched curiously and then just like that- Kurt wasn't Kurt anymore. Well, he didn't look like Kurt- there was resemblance, sure, but he was blue, fuzzy, and looked a bit like some sort of creature. I jumped slightly. They all laughed. but the laughter stopped as the Professor's thoughts entered my mind.

_"Kurt, Jean, Danny, Rogue, and Scott to the Training Area."_

"Ah man, bummer," Kurt whined, "Come on man, I'll sure you vhere it is."

Confused, I followed Kurt as he lead me down the hall.

"Training area," I asked.

"Vah," Kurt said, "It is for training our powers and team work too."

"Oh I guess that makes sense," I scratched at the back of my head.

Kurt turned to me,

"And you really don't mind that I look like this."

Kurt motioned towards his fuzzy self. Realizing that he probably got a lot of negative feedback because of his appearance, I patted his back with a laugh,

"Dude, trust me, you could be a ten foot tall lizard-like man and I would still know you're the same Kurt. Now, you do know that I will still tease you mercilessly though, right?"

Kurt grinned,

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

* * *

I entered the training room after I got dressed in what the Professor gave me. I pinched at the skin-tight material annoyingly. _I can't believe I once wore something this tight._ When I saw everyone else, I was a bit relived that I wasn't the only one who had to wear it. Kurt gave me a thumbs up,

"Looks awesome, man!"

I smiled and gave a thumbs up back as I joined them at the edge of the odd-technology filled room. In a way, it almost reminded me of Gear's lab- _almost._ It was still a lot different. For one, it lacked Gear's flare and all her gadgets. For two, there was a viewing station up above. When I looked closely, I saw Professor X with Logan and Storm watching us. Professor X nodded at us before his voice came over the speakers,

"This is an obstacle course. All of you must get through it for it to be successful. Good luck."

I wondered why he said good luck, an obstacle course sounded easy enough. Judging by Kurt's expression of pure horror, I then assumed it wasn't going to be a normal obstacle course. When the steel walls started to appear, along with robot-like things and lasers, I _knew_ it was _not_ a normal obstacle course. _What are they trying to do? Get us killed?_

"Scott," Jean said as she used her powers to block a laser.

"I got it," Scott said and he pressed a button on his glasses, releasing a laser that struck the structure that was shooting.

A bit lost at what to do, I just started to head through the obstacle course. I flew past the others,

"I'll make a path!"

It was easy to get through the walls and just phase through the lasers. I shot ectoblasts at every laser shooting structure I could as I flew. I shot one giant ectoblast behind me to destroy the walls. It took me less than two minutes to not only reach the end, but clear it so the others could as well. Kurt grinned,

"Wicked sweet!"

"Yeah," Rogue said, but her face wasn't nearly as amused.

Then I noticed a laser shooter that I missed as it aimed towards Kurt.

"Kurt, look out!"

He poofed to another location as I shot a blast at the structure. I smiled,

"I may have missed one!"

"Good job," Scott said as he nodded and I beamed.

* * *

That night, I called Gear to report. Kurt was fast asleep and I was out on the balcony (with the doors closed) so I assumed it was safe enough. She answered the phone after the tenth ring.

_"Hey Danny dude, how's living the mutant life?"_

"Good," I smiled, "Gear these guys are actually pretty cool- I mean, is there a possibility that you were wrong?"

_"Hey! I take offense to that and if I wasn't multitasking at the moment, I may be upset. Look dude, I'm glad you're fitting in, really, but the place is just… I never said they were bad, ya know? I said that I needed to make sure that they weren't. I was 100 perfect sure they weren't and I don't want any kid, teen, or adult going there with the hope of a brighter future only to be tortured or used as a weapon."_

"Gear sometimes I worry about you."

_"Good, someone has to. Now, look, you can stay there as long as you like if you want- not going to force you back anytime or force you to stay. But give it at least a month or two before we know for sure whether or not they're the right guys, the good guys."_

"Yeah, I guess I get it… I just really like it here… Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school."

_"…Yeah about that…"_

I groaned,

"What?"

"_I won't be there. I dropped out."_

"You what!?"

_"No need to yell! Geesh what is it with you and yelling? Look, I have too many things to do. I can get my degree easily enough without going to school. Alright? Just call me every week at least because I don't think we'll see each other that often since I am always working."_

"Okay," I finally said, "…I guess I understand."

_"Thanks Double D. Remember to floss and wash behind your ears!"_

"GEAR!"

I heard her laugh,

_"Kidding Danny dude, I'm not your mom. Geesh."_

She hung up and I couldn't help but feel a bit abandoned. I mean, I loved the mansion and my new friends, but Gear was practically my older sister. Yet, she dropped me off here with a mission like she couldn't wait to get rid of me… I hoped that wasn't the case.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

**Gear:**

I rubbed my temples as an attempt to get rid of a headache. I took another swig of the beer. I wasn't drinking enough to get me drunk, oh no. If there was one thing I learned from that meeting Danny set up, it was that drinking like that caused problems not only for me, but the people around me. I also learned that you couldn't just go cold turkey and not drink at all. So there I was with _one_ casual beer as I worked.

My work in question? Tracking down the Guys in White to make sure they don't come near Danny again. Currently, they were still in Illinois. Good, they won't even get to be in the same _state_ as him- or _country_ if I thought it was possible (the Guys in White are, unluckily, an American thing so it was unluckily). Aside from tracking the bad guys down, there was one other _good_ guy I had to track down… More like good girl. Danielle AKA Dani.

I knew she had to be somewhere, but no matter where she was, I wouldn't believe she was safe from the GiW until she was within my line of sight- even then it's iffy. The girl was like a daughter and a young sister all put in one and there was no way I was going to let the Guys in White do to her what they did to Danny. I already failed Danny. I wasn't going to fail her too.

I typed away at my computer until I was able to access a special tracker that I had put on Danielle, well it wasn't really on her. It was micro-sized and I slipped it into her water back when I didn't trust her. I never really used it except to check here she was ever now and then. It was even more useful now since I desperately needed to know where she was.

A red dot appeared on the map, signaling her location- London, England. I zoomed in countless times before I was able to figure out her exact location- just outside of a café. I accessed the cameras in that location on another screen. I saw her and realized that she changed a bit in two years. She didn't look any taller, but she matured. Her hair was longer though and her face lost all of its baby fat. Smiling, I saw a phone booth next to her. I called the phone booth and she looked around, confused. When she realized no one was going to answer it, she went over and answered it herself.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey Little D," I said into the microphone, "What's going on?"

I saw her smile as she replied,

"_Gear?! It's been forever! I missed you and Danny and the others so much!"_

At the mention of the others, I choked a bit before I replied,

"We miss you too, Little D. Look, I have some news I need to give you- it's best to explain face to face. I'm in New York in a place called Bayville. Think you come down? I can track your movements and give you instructions."

"_Uhhh sure? Gear what's this all about? Is it about Vlad? Danny?"_

"Like I said, I need to explain face to face… Just fly invisible and be careful. Actually, tell ya what, I'll buy your plane ticket online and call the airport so they know it's you. Just go to the closest airport and tell them your name is Danielle Gia."

"_..Gia? I thought I was a Fenton?"_

"The Fentons aren't really a family anymore, Little D. There are no Fentons left. I'll explain when you get here."

_"Okay and Gear?"_

"Yeah?"

_"If my last name is Gia does that make me your little sister?"_

"Sure, Little D," I smiled.

I saw her cheer on the phone before she hung up and did as I instructed. I called the airport, paid the ticket, and as soon as she got on the airplane, I sighed in relief. She was on her way. She was going to be okay.

* * *

It was nearly 10 hours before I had to drive up to the airport to pick up Danielle. In that time, I managed to get a few other pieces of my work finished- not normal work, but my work as _Quam Tu_. I sold a few things here and there and even created one thing- it was more than I got done in a while because there were no distractions. Dani was easy to spot in the crowd since I was eager to see to her. As soon as she spotted me, she ran up and gave me a large hug. The small now-fourteen-year-old was still cute as ever.

I hugged her back just as tightly,

"Hey Little D, come on. The truck's just outside."

She looked at me confused,

"Truck? I thought you had a motorcycle? And what about your hoverboard?"

I laughed slightly,

"I did have a motorcycle, but it was a bit impractical. My hoverboard needs a bit of repair and I haven't had the time. Besides, this place isn't exactly suited for seeing some girl on a hoverboard fly by."

"Amity got used to it."

"Amity also got used to ghosts," I said, "So we can both agree that Amity wasn't exactly a normal place. Now come on, Little D, there's a lot to talk about and even more to make up for. But first… Lunch and ice cream?"

She cheered as we headed to the truck. I smiled to myself and it was only two hours later did we not only have full stomachs, but were pulling up to my house. Danielle's eyes got wide.

"This is your house…"

"Yep," I said, popping the 'p'. "It's pretty wicked."

I got out of the truck and just to show her how wicked it was, I didn't unlock the door manually. I put my hand on the doorbell and slide it up to reveal a handprint scanner. If there was just a guest at the door, it would only send the video feed of who it was to me, or if they were a threat, it would set to attack. A red laser appeared out from the peephole to scan my eyes.

_"Recognized- Gear 01. Speak command. Recognized- Unknown."_

It spoke a few numbers that seemed to be gibberish but were really an HTML code. It was going to attack the unknown intruder if I didn't speak the code.

"Override- Gear 01. Set unknown signature."

I motioned for Danielle to walk forward and I whispered in her ear,

"Say your name."

"Dani," Danielle said confused.

_"Recognized- Dani 04."_

She was now number 4 in the system. The first was obviously me. The second was Jazz. The third was Danny and now there was Danielle. We were set to go. The door opened and Danielle looked around excitedly. As she started to babble, I forced her to take a seat on the couch as I raised a finger,

"Slow down there, kid. I have a few questions for you, then I will tell you everything."

"Okay."

She smiled goofily- it was obvious she was still hyper. I smiled and looked at her,

"Alright, first- where have you been? I've checked up on you a few times, but that was only your location. I haven't really talked to you more than once since you left."

"Oh! It was awesome! I traveled! I saw Paris, France, Italy, Romania, Egypt, Nigeria, Australia, and I was only in London about a week before I came here."

I smiled and gave her a high-five,

"Sweet! I've been to a few of those places myself, they're pretty awesome… I take it you flew, so you didn't have to pay, but speaking of pay…"

Danielle caught on what I meant. She looked down as she shifted her feet. She twiddle with her thumbs,

"I… I kind of stole some money from various people- pick pocketing. Kind of easy when you're half ghost… I didn't take much, I swear! I just took enough to get me some food when I needed it. I didn't even get enough to get a motel. I always slept on the streets."

"That explains the smell," I muttered before I smiled at her.

"Look Little D, I'm not mad, hell, I've done a lot worse than pick pocket people. As for sleeping on the streets, you really need a shower, aside from that- you're good. Now, as for what's been happening since you left…"

I filled her in on everything. I told her how Danny showered up at my place not too long after his own funeral. I even told her that we were in Bayville because I heard about mutants and how Danny was currently 'undercover' with them. I told her how Danny was a full ghost, how the Fentons, Sam, and Tucker died because the Guys in White were assholes. I told her that I barely managed to escape. I told her that it was all the Guys in White's fault for everything and that I wanted to make sure she was okay.

When I finished, Danielle wasn't happy. She looked like she was about to cry with the way her eyes were shut tightly and her fists were clenched. She was shaking a bit. It made me a bit uncomfortable because I really wasn't that good with mushy shit. Finally, I sighed and I hugged her awkwardly. She hugged me back, tightly and I tensed slightly before relaxing as she cried on my shoulder. She was fourteen in body, yeah, but in reality she was only two years old with only maybe a fifth or sixth grade education. She was a kid. A kid with a nasty-ass past that honestly just needed some help.

"Gear," Dani sniffled, "What about me? Where do I go now?"

I smiled,

"You're in luck… A room just opened up here…"


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

**Third Person:**

Danny was clenched his fists. He was still angry at Gear. She left the school. She hadn't been answering the phone the past week. There was no way for him to contact her because when he went to the house, she specifically told him that she was busy. _What is keeping her so busy? I mean I get her work can do that, but this is getting ridiculous. Does she really not want to talk to me?_

"Hey, are you like alright," Kitty asked as she walked up.

Danny sighed and rubbed his temples,

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine… Gear just isn't talking to me."

"Like did you do something?"

"No," Danny snapped and then sighed, "No, I didn't do anything. It's… Gear has a sort-of job that takes up a lot of her time and she loves inventing so she gets so invested in that… Just kind of hurts that she won't tell me what's going on sometimes."

He smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck,

"But I'm fine, really… So you going to the pool then?"

Kitty smiled and twirled slightly to show off her swimsuit. Danny, being the gentleman he was, didn't check her out- though the hormonal side of him let his eyes linger a bit.

"Like yeah, most of us are out there now. Wanna join?"

Danny shrugged,

"Sure, might as well… Be out there in a second."

Danny quickly went up to his room and changed into a swimsuit before he flew out the window. The mutants in the pool saw him in the air and cheered as he flew directly over the pool and did a cannonball into the pool.

"Dramatic entrance much," Rogue said dryly.

Danny smiled and laughed,

"Careful Rogue. I can splash you."

"Not if ya know what's good for ya."

Danny continued to laugh, his bad mood dropping instantly. He stayed in a good mood as he continued to swim, making a point to splash all the girls who were scared to get their hair wet. It was when he got out of the pool, however, that a problem began.

"Everyone, head in," Scott ordered, "Storm's coming in."

Danny looked up- sure enough, the dark clouds were quickly approaching, meaning the storm the news station was talking about was getting closer. He stepped out of the pool, shaking his head and eagerly taking a towel from Kurt to dry his hair and legs- oblivious to all the staring.

"Whoa, dude, what happened," Kurt asked.

"Like whoa," Kitty chimed, "That's…whoa…"

Danny looked around as he dried his hair,

"What?"

He thought for a second and then he looked at them horrified,

"Oh my god don't tell me- someone peed in the pool and no one told me!"

"Ya idiot," Rogue smacked him upside the head, "It's your scars."

"My…scars," Danny asked confused.

He looked down. He forgot. He actually forgot about the scars that lined his chest, the scars that haunted him, the scars that he barely remembered how he got them- he only remembered what he saw in nightmares and even that was iffy. He took a sharp intake of breath and tensed slightly. He used the towel to cover himself as he regained his senses,

"Yeah, and what about them?"

"Dude, where did you get those," Kurt asked softly, "I don't think those are the normal types of scars."

Danny stopped for a moment as he turned to look at Kurt, along with the others (Kitty, Rogue, and Scott were the only ones paying attention however).

"…I don't know," he whispered before he quickly disappeared, heading to his room.

* * *

They looked all over for Danny- mostly out of concern. They needed to see if Danny was alright- when he left he didn't seem that happy. He seemed pretty sad. They were all worried about him- even Storm and Professor X. The Professor did try to reach Danny mentally, but Danny refused to reply, leaving them in the dark.

"Don't worry," Xavier informed his students, "I am sure he is alright. Perhaps young Daniel just needed some time alone."

"Good for him- I've been lookin' for a quiet place since I got here," Rogue mumbled.

However, no matter how they searched, they would never find Danny. He thought hiding out in the old attic, invisible, was a pretty good plan. It worked, after all. He sat on the floor, criss-crossed, with his hands on his knees. He took a few deep breaths, desperately trying to calm down, trying to stop any on-coming memories or flashbacks.

A flash of lightening shown through the old window and he dropped his invisibility as a flashback hit him.

_He stepped through a giant hole in the wall after zipping up the suit._

_"Danny," Sam said worridly._

_"Don't worry Sam," Danny waved it off, "I'll be fine- not like it's working."_

_"Besides Sam," Tucker threw in, "Weren't you the one who told me to go in the first place?"_

_"I didn't think he'd actually do it," Sam snapped._

_Danny chuckled to himself as he continued walking inside the portal, one hand on the wall to keep his balance. This was it… It was so amazing, yet different… Then he tripped. His eyes widened as his hand hit something- a button. _

_The thing he remembered was a bright flash and screaming. So much screaming. So much pain._

"-anny! Danny, dude," Kurt repeated.

Danny's eyes finally snapped opened. His breathing was shallow and irregular. His fists were clenched tightly as he was hunched over. Kurt's hand was on his shoulder, causing him to yank back and fall on his butt. The color was drained from his face as he looked horrified at Kurt before he realized where he was. _I…That memory…That was… I think that's where it all began…Where I began…_

"Danny," Kurt asked.

Danny snapped back to reality,

"What? I… I'm fine. I'm fine."

He stood up shakily. Kurt helped him up,

"Good man, because we're under attack."

"Under attack? By who?"

"The Brotherhood."


	17. Chapter 16

**Author Note: **

**To Mary Elrondile: **Your review to Chapter 12 reminded me that I haven't explained that yet. Don't worry- it will be brought up in this chapter and explained in the next. Though it would make sense for Jean to sense some acitvity in his brain because even though he's dead, he still has thought.

**To Spawn of Nerdom (who didn't review, but is reading the story): **I am updating again today just for you, you little shit- I say that with love oh great best friend of mine.

**~CWA**

**Chapter 16:**

**Danny:**

I was feeling a bit better- no, that was a lie. I was still feeling terrible. I was still flinching every time there was a lightning flash. The only good part was that I had someone I could take my frustrations and fear out on without holding back. Kurt explained to me who the Brotherhood was as we entered the front yard- Lance, Toad, Fred and Quicksilver were standing there like they owned the place. Lance smirked,

"Heard there was new meat on your team- had to come and check it out."

I landed on the ground and smirked.

"Well I'm here."

I cracked my knuckles as I looked at Fred,

"Hello misplaced aggression," I smirked.

For the briefest moment, I had a sense of déjà vu. Fred looked at me and laughed,

"You against me?!"

Even the other X-Men looked over me with concern. I waved it off as I shot an ectoblast at him, knocking him backwards a few meters, and shot another to knock him off his feet. He growled and stood up to charge at me. I turned intangible and his fist went through me. I stuck out my tongue,

"Missed me!"

He threw another punch, I turned invisible and went up behind me before I turned visible. I shot another ectoblast at his back,

"Missed me again! Haha!"

I continued my fight with Fred as the others dealt with Lance and Toad. Honestly, it wasn't that much of a fight and it almost made me feel… _bored._ It wasn't long before we ran them off, causing Kurt and I to high-five.

"Yeah! Teach them to mess with us!"

"Kurt, Danny," Scott scolded.

We gave him a sheepish smile and a muttered half-ass apology, but as soon as he looked away we cheered silently to ourselves. Rogue just looked over amused as she rolled her eyes,

"Ya idiots."

"Ah, but you love us," Kurt said with a cheeky grin.

Rogue just snorted before walking off. I didn't blame her. I was going to call out to her to tell her to say that the love was apparently only one-sided, but my phone started to ring.

_"If you ever get so low, you don't know which way to go, come take a walk in my shoes._

_Don't worry 'bout a thing, got the world a string, cause I got the cure for all of my blues…_

_I TAKE A LOOK AT MY ENORMOUS PENIS! And my troubles start a melting away!"_

I gave Kurt an apologetic look but he was just laughing.

"Gear wouldn't let me set her ringtone for anything else," I explained before I answered the cell.

"Gear?"

"_Hey Danny dude! Look, sorry about the whole not talking that much… But there's someone I think you should meet."_

"What do you mean," I asked confused. Who could it possibly be?

_"It's someone from your past- someone good, don't worry. I don't know if you'll remember her or not, but just come on by. Please."_

I knew it was serious because Gear said _'please'_, Gear never said that. She wasn't that good with manners. I said that I would before I hung up. Kurt was still clutching his sides,

"Oh man!"

"As funny as it is, I gotta go. Gear needs some help putting up….things…I don't know…. Bye!"

I zipped off before I was questioned too much. It didn't take me too long before I reached Gear's house. My heart seemed to beat a lot faster in my chest as I gulped. _Who is it? Is it a family member I didn't remember? A friend? A cousin or something maybe? Are they good? Or bad? Are they like Gear? Or are they more like the few things I remember from Sam and Tucker? Are they even a male or a female? Young or old? Who is it?_

I finally got enough courage to open the door after Gear's voice came over the intercom and gave me the okay. I was thinking of about several different scenarios in my head about who it could be, but as I looked at the person on the couch- all my scenarios were wrong. I did _not_ expect to see a little girl, maybe fourteen, on the couch who looked… _She looks like me- at least how I looked in those pictures of when I was alive. _As soon as she saw me, her eyes lit up and she tackled me in a large hug.

"DANNY! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU! Love the new look!"

At that, a brief memory came back to me- I was fourteen, a fourteen year old with white hair and bright green eyes was hugging me tightly,

_"DANNY!"_

Just as quick as it came, it was gone. I shook my head slightly as I pushed her away gently,

"Uhh…who are you?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. Her eyes looked shocked and a bit saddened. She looked down at the ground. Gear walked into the room and cursed. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder. Gear look at me,

"Danny, meet Danielle Gia."

"Your little sister," I asked, furrowing my brows.

The girl got even more depressed. Gear released the girl's shoulder to smack me upside the head,

"She is- but she's yours too! She used to be a Fenton, dumbass!"

"…Okay, you lost me."

So Gear set me down on the couch and Danielle (or as she had put it '_Dani with an I'_) explained. Gear filled in some parts though. Dani was my clone- my _female_ clone. But we called each other cousins (Gear added that it was another reason why Danielle was now officially her little sister due to the many papers she forged). _"Make sense? You guys called each other cousins and here I'm your cousin, so it makes sense for her to be my little sister- keep up the whole cousin façade. Sides, always wanted a little sister."_ Danielle also explained how she went off to explore the world and it was only when Gear contacted her did she know what had happened.

"I'm so sorry," Dani said as she hugged me tightly, "I should have been there!"

"Look, all this reunion stuff is going to make me cry," Gear said as she wiped at her eyes, "So…"

Dani laughed and I couldn't help but laugh with her. Despite that I may not have memories of her, I was at ease with her. I knew I could trust her.

"Wait," I said, "If she's my clone and you said I was half ghost when I was still alive- can she…?"

"You got it," Danielle said proudly as she puffed out of her chest, "GOING GHOST!"

She threw her hands into the air as two rings appeared at her waist. I let out a gasp of surprise as I watched her…_change._ When the rings disappeared, she looked more like I did now- her hair was pure white, her eyes were glowing green, but she was wearing a more _teenage girl_ version of the HAZMAT suit I waked up in.

"Man, here I thought my heart was going to beat right out my chest," I laughed.

Gear looked over confused,

"Uhhh Danny dude, hate to break it to you, but you're dead- your heart doesn't beat…"

I scratched at my head,

"But… It felt like it was…"

"….Danny, I'm gonna need to do a test on you- strictly medical! Don't worry! But I just need to check some things…"


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

**Third Person:**

Danny sat on a cleared table down in the lab with his shirt off for the 'check-up.' Gear had her back on him as she looked over various tools and documents. She even was on the computer looking up several old documents about Danny's past results and notes she had about ghosts and their physical properties (as well as health). She mumbled to herself- sometimes in English, sometimes in Latin.

Danielle was down there as well, sitting beside Danny on the large table, insisting that if he was going to get a physical, she was going to get one too (of course, she kept her shirt on). She swung her legs slightly as they dangled over the edge, laughing to herself. She hoped that it was all a mistake- that Danny was not a ghost. He was still a half ghost like her. He was still _alive_. The thought made her smile brightly.

"How come she gets to keep her shirt on," Danny complained.

Gear tsk'ed as she turned around, a needle in her hand,

"'Cause she's a little girl with modesty as to where you are just really fun to mess with."

She smirked and Danny groaned,

"Are you saying I could've kept my shirt on?"

"You're the one who took it off before I even asked."

Dani laughed as Danny's face turned red. He crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. Gear rolled her eyes amused as she took out the necessary things she needed. Various doctoral tools, needles, and various other things laid out on a small tray. One thing, however, stood out the best to Danny- a syringe filled with some sort of green liquid. It took him a moment to notice that it was actually ectoplasm mixed with something else.

With Danielle there, she could compare the results between a healthy human (her), use past data that she got from Danny, fresh results from a half-ghost (Dani), and Danny's current results. It was helpful, she would admit, since not only does she get to make sure Danielle is in proper health, but she can make see the differences between Danny's past results (when he was half-ghost) and hers. It was all for science and for her personal gain of knowledge.

She took Danielle's heart rate, her blood pressure, tested reflexes, and after Danielle's begging, she even took Dani's height and weight.

"Special doctor," Gear muttered, "Feeling more like a family doctor."

She took a small blood sample from Danielle by pricking the young halfa's finger as to avoid needles. She put the blood on a slide and under a microscope. Dani's blood, she realized, was much different than a human's. Like Danny's past results, the blood seemed to be a mixture of ectoplasm and normal red blood cells. The ectoplasm didn't really mix with the blood, but instead floated almost on it, similar to how oil and water reacted. However, her blood showed a bit more ectoplasm than red blood cells, if by a small barely noticeable margin. She took the syringe off the tray, squirted it, and slowly added it to the blood. She studied the reaction, wrote a few notes down, and mumbled to herself.

"Is there a problem," Dani asked nervously.

"Your ectoplasmic count is higher than your red blood cell count. However, it's not really a concern- it's barely even noticeable."

"But why is it higher?"

"Yours is higher than Danny's past results from when he was your age. As to why, I'm not sure, Little D. It could be because you're a female. It could be because you were originally made as a clone, therefore more ectoplasm was made in your creation… Double D, you ready for your turn?"

Danny nodded, a bit nervous. He gulped as Gear checked his reflexes and then his blood pressure. She looked at the results with a frown, however she raised an eyebrow as she noticed how nervous he was,

"What Double D? Want me to take your height and weight too?"

"Could you even reach the top of my head?"

Gear glared at him as Dani laughed.

"Careful," Gear said, "I'm the one with the pointy tools. Now lemme check your heart rate."

She listened to his heart carefully- listening for the faintest thump. After a full minute, she stopped listening and took his blood. She pricked his finger like she did to Dani then put the blood on a slide under a microscope. Unlike Dani's blood, Danny's was all ectoplasm- not a single blood red cell. She added the stuff from the syringe to his blood as well, noting the different reaction. Danielle's blood rejected the ectoplasm, and almost even separated the ectoplasm already in her blood from her red cells. Danny's blood, however, accepted it and it seemed to make it stronger. _In theory,_ Gear noted,_ if I were to add pure ectoplasm to him, he would become stronger, but the question is- how much stronger? _

"Tell it to me straight, Doc," Danny said dramatically as he acted like he was going to faint, "How long do I got?"

"For a guy who was nervous a few minutes ago, you sure loosened up… There's nothing unusual."

Danny furrowed his brows,

"But what do you mean? Like nothing unusual for a half-ghost? A full ghost?… Am I still alive?"

Gear sighed as she took a seat on a wheelie chair,

"Look Danny dude, I hate to tell you this, but you are a ghost- a full ghost. Your blood pressure is lower than a human's and even a halfa's, my guess is that it's not really your heart pumping the blood because you have no heart rate, but rather just the ectoplasm flowing. Your blood is even all ectoplasm."

"But he said he felt his heart beat," Dani said stubbornly, "He has to be alive!"

"Look, I don't like it either," Gear snapped, "But Danny dude is gone."

"But she has a point," Danny pointed out, "…How was my heart beating?"

Gear ran a hand through her hair,

"Honestly? I don't think it was… You ever hear of a phantom limb? They can still feel it, even though it's gone. I think something similar is happening here. You're so used to feeling your heart beat accelerate when you're nervous or scared, so when you feel those emotions, you think you feel it beating when it's not… It might go away after a while, but it may take some time. It's just your head, dude. Oh and I'll need some more of your blood."

"Why," Danny asked cautiously.

"I have some…tests…I'd like to run."

Danny visibly paled, hating her words with a passion.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

**Third Person:**

_Patience is a virtue,_ Gear recited in her head. She was currently leaned over the blood samples she got from Danny. A mere three weeks after she got the samples and she was still experimenting (and occasionally getting more samples). By now, she had a whole drawer of Danny's blood kept in a freezer. Her goggles were on her eyes as she heated up some of the blood on one panel, then taking the goggles off to add pure ectoplasm from a syringe to another panel of blood.

Danielle, however, was also practicing in the lab- when she got bored of practicing, she was tapping on Gear's shoulder like she was now.

"Gear, Gear, Gear…"

_Patience is a virtue,_ Gear continued to repeat, _patience is a virtue… Oh fuck it._

"What," Gear gritted out.

Dani gave a curious grin,

"Whatcha workin' on?"

Gear sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She turned to face the young halfa and wondered to really tell her what she was doing or not. She turned to the blood samples and motioned for Danielle to come closer. _How to explain this where she understands? I don't want to totally confuse her with 'geek-speak.' _She pointed to the sample of Danny's blood that was warming up,

"I'm testing to see how different things cause Danny's blood react because then, in theory, it would affect Danny as well."

Dani scratched at her head, her confusion obvious. Gear sighed. She pointed to the sample that seemed to be glowing,

"That sample had pure ectoplasm added to it. See how it's glowing brighter? That's because it's stronger."

She picked up a syringe that was filled with the glowing syringe and was careful to not squirt it. Danielle looked at the liquid- but it was much thicker than blood.

"It's pure ectoplasm. If this was in Danny's system, then in theory, it would make his ectoplasmic blood stronger and therefore, it would make him stronger."

Dani nodded with wide eyes, multiple different things going through her head, but her thoughts were crushed as Gear set the syringe down and gave Dani a hard look. Her eyes were dark and serious,

"Danielle, listen to me and listen to me good- do not use it. Don't you dare even think about making yourself more powerful for it."

"How come Danny gets all the power," Dani huffed.

Gear glared and Dani gulped, never had she seen Gear as serious as she was now.

"Little D, you're a little sis, ya know that? I would never tell you to not do something unless I had a legit reason. Hell, you can even be a hooker, a stripper, or shit and even though I won't be happy I won't tell you not to do it if you were happy long as you weren't mixing alcohol and drugs. But this pure ectoplasm does not mix with your blood- no, it overpowers it, separates your ectoplasm from your blood. Dani, if you took this, then you would be- _poof_. Gone. Most likely from exploding or from pain alone."

Dani gulped as she nodded. Gear gave a firm nod and then turned back to her work- a tense silence in the air. After a second, Gear took off her goggles and turned to Dani,

"Seriously though, don't be a stripper or a hooker- the pay's not as good as you think and trust me, I know."

* * *

Danny smiled to himself. He was officially 'in.' Jean wasn't suspicious of him. The teachers at the Institute didn't treat him any different because of his powers. Professor X didn't seem as weary. He was normal, for lack of a better term. At first, learning of the Brotherhood made him weary of the school, but it didn't take long for him to realize that the Brotherhood and the Institute were two, very different things- just as Professor X and Magneto had two very different dreams. If Gear had sent him to the Brotherhood under the suspicion that they may be bad, she'd be right, but with the Insitute- she as wrong. It was good- the people, the teachers, the peers, everything was good.

For that reason, he was smiling. He felt a bit free- he could be himself and not hide his powers, well he hid some of them. Still, at the Institute he didn't have to hide as nearly as much as he'd have to hide otherwise. Of course, he did have to hide that he was still, technically, a spy for Gear since he reported everything to her- everything from who was dating who to the way the Danger Room worked.

"Honestly Gear," Danny said as he rubbed his temples, "Your stubbornness is giving me a headache. Will you just admit that you were wrong? This is not a bad place."

_"I get that dude, honestly… I'm just cautious ya know? So all I am saying is be careful."_

"I know," Danny repeated for the tenth time in that conversation, "For the last time- I know!"

_"Dude, I'm not saying it because it's a bad place that's not what you're getting. I'm saying it cause you still have a cover to maintain. You are a ghost, dude. Don't want them to know, right?"_

"Yeah, yeah," Danny sighed, "How's Dani?"

_"She's good. Better. Still a bit hurt you didn't remember but that's not your fault. She's… Also pocking my side wanting to talk to you."_

There was a muffled noise before Dani's voice came on,

_"Danny!"_

"Hi Danielle," Danny greeted.

_"It's Dani with an 'i'. Geesh. Why do you and Gear have such trouble remembering my name? You always say Danielle. She always calls me Little D because I'm small… How's the whole mutant thing going?"_

"It's good. I mean, it's a bit rough. Training with Logan is hard as heck."

_"How hard?"_

"Ummm imagine Gear actually making a course and deeming it 'worthy' of us to practice with."

_"That's actually pretty hard…Woah and you still think you're okay?"_

Danny laughed,

"Yeah I know right! I better get going- Bye Dani."

_"See ya."_

She hung up as Danny smirked,

_Funny,_ he thought, _Here I thought being a spy would be harder._

It was at that moment, however, that his thought was heard.


	20. Chapter 19

**Author Note: Please review! I updated twice today. And next chapter stuff will go down. I can't tell ya guys what will happen, obviously.**

**~CWA**

**Chapter 19:**

**Third Person:**

Gear stuck her tongue out slightly as she maneuvered her way around the go-karts and the odd little turtles. Beside her, Danielle was just as concentrated on the TV screen and on the game they were playing. Gear cheered as she won 1st place,

"WHOO," Gear cheered loudly as she jumped off the couch, "Told ya Little D, can't defeat the master. I've been playing this game a lot longer."

She twirled her controller on her fingers with a cocky smirk. Danielle huffed,

"Rematch. I demand a rematch."

Gear looked at her amused.

"A third time? Well if you say so."

Gear smirked as she took her place back on the couch and restarted the game. The two girls became focused once more on the game, but it wasn't long before they got side-tracked once again.

"Hey Gear," Danielle said as she passed _Lugi_, "How do you think Danny's doing?"

"You just talked to him," Gear pointed out without even sparing a glance towards the younger girl.

"That's not what I meant. I mean… He acts like he's okay and all, but he's… He's a ghost and he's not the same Danny. He's changed."

Gear paused the game and turned towards Danielle.

"Little D, listen here you cheeky shit."

Danielle smiled cheekily at the name- knowing full well it was because of the off-handed things she did every now and again that gained her the names '_little shit' _and _'cheeky shit.' _ Though she sobered up a bit as Gear continued,

"People change- it's life and afterlife. You can't expect people to stay the same all the time, you know? I know it's hard on you since you want him to be the same guy he was then, and even though he acts a bit different sometimes, even if he looks different, he's still Danny. Look at this way, Little D, if you suddenly went through a punk phase where you dyed your hair blue with pink streaks and dressed in gothic looking clothing and became a disrespectful, arrogant, sarcastic bitch, I'd still love you."

Dani found comfort in Gear's words, until the last statement. Though she was a bit comforted in the fact that, in her own way, Gear was saying that no matter how she changed, Gear would still love her. She looked at Gear dryly,

"You have a way with words Gear."

* * *

Professor X shook his head,

"No, no. I am sure there is a reason that young Daniel would think like that. We must not automatically assume he is a spy."

"He thought it, Professor," Jean argued, "He actually used the word spy."

Kurt and Kitty shared a concerned look. Behind the Professor, Storm and Logan shared a similar look. Scott looked impassive as he thought over everything. He knew Jean was tense around Danny since he felt different and she didn't like Gear. But was she just jumping to conclusions or was it a legitimate concern? It didn't sound that good- Danny thinking he was a spy did not help his case. However, the conversation felt a bit déjà vu to each of them.

"Professor," Kurt said carefully, "Danny is not- I mean, he's our friend, Professor."

Kurt looked at the Professor, pleading with him.

"I'm well aware of that, Kurt. We'll speak to Daniel."

He sent a thought out to the odd-student. In a moment, Danny thought back that he would be there in a moment. Danny gulped nervously as he entered the office. He looked over everyone carefully. Kurt and Kitty looked a bit shamed and worried. Storm and Logan were indifferent, as was the Professor. Yet Jean and Scott looked stern and ready. He tuned to the Professor,

"Professor? Did I do something?"

Danny shifted uncomfortably and scratched at the back of his neck. The Professsor leaned forward,

"It came to our attention, young Daniel, that you have… alternative motives for joining us here."

Danny tensed. Did they know? Did they think he wasn't a mutant? Did he slip up somehow? He thought back for a moment. What would cause them to be suspicious?

"What…What makes you think that?"

"Your thoughts, Daniel, are not always private."

_Thoughts…Oh…_ He realized what he did. He thought about being a spy. That made them suspicious. He relaxed. They still thought he was a mutant. They still thought he was one of them- that he was _alive._ He smiled,

"If this is about the thought I had about being a spy, you don't have to worry."

"Pardon us for taking precautions," Professor X said dryly.

Danny continued to smile as he decided to tell a half-truth,

"Gear wants me to, _report,_ to her every other day at least. She's kind of paranoid and is always concerned about me, I guess. So everything that happens here, I tell her about it. She won't tell anyone," Danny reassured, "I mean, she has secrets too and she keeps all secrets really well hidden. So she's cool. Like I said, she's just paranoid."

Kurt and Kitty both relaxed, instantly believing him.

"See Professor," Kitty said, "He's like totally telling the truth! You like met his cousin. She's like the most odd person so she can totally like be paranoid too."

Danny felt a brief instant of irritation at Kitty calling Gear odd and the tone she used to call Gear that. He took a deep breath and let the comment roll off his back. Kurt chimed in,

"See, he's good Professor! Can we all go now?"

Professor X took a deep breath before he excused everyone. Kurt and Kitty cheered as they dragged Danny off to go play mutant ball- causing Jean and Scott to follow them as to keep an eye on the game. The game could, of course, easily get out of hand if there wasn't someone playing 'peacekeeper' and 'referee.'

Storm looked at the Professor in mild concern- concern for everyone. Logan lit a cigar.

"Do you believe him, Chuck," Logan asked gruffly.

"For now, I have no other option but to," Professor X said honestly, "But something tells me there is more to this story than what meets the eye."


	21. Chapter 20

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 20:**

**Gear:**

I put my goggles on as I looked over the contraptions on my desk. Working in the lab instead of my other, private lab, had a few drawbacks. But I kind of had to because I didn't want Dani accidentally getting into something or hurting herself. Danielle walked into the lab. _Speak of the devil._ I took off my goggles to look at her closely. She was dressed in casual clothing and not in ghost form so I doubted she was going to train (like I told her).

"I'm going to go get lunch. You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," I waved her off, "I need to get things done."

"You sure? Did you eat breakfast? Or a snack?"

The one thing I liked about Dani. She made sure I ate because sometimes I forgot. I smiled and grabbed a bag of chips off the table. I held the bag up and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled and then left. As soon as she exited the lab, I zipped over to one of my computer screens and started to type away. I was finally alone so I didn't have to worry about Danielle stressing out. I furrowed my brow as a red dot appeared on the screen, meaning they were in my personal radar that I had set. I typed away and zoomed in.

They were close. Too close. I cursed slightly. If they were close, that meant they could find Dani, Danny, or even me. If they got me then they would have a field day considering I was the one to hack into their systems- well considering if they could even figure out that it was me. I smirked to myself before I continued to type away. There were no street cams close to the address which meant that if I wanted to see them, I'd have to hack into their own security cameras. Which was exactly what I did. I knew they wouldn't catch me so I didn't bother taking all the necessary precautions as I hacked into the cams.

The screens showed the base, but as I hacked into each cam, I got more and more confused. It showed everything- but a good portion of the base appeared empty. The only people I saw on camera were the two guys in the security room. Something was up. Something was… _wrong._

I shook my head. Something was defiantly going to happen soon. I just wasn't sure what. I walked upstairs and started to make some coffee. I hadn't slept in two days since I was working on that pure ectoplasm theory of mine. I was still in pajamas- my _Ghostbusters _shirt reaching mid-thigh gave a slight uncomfortable breeze. I even took off my bracelet and belt for a while because I was tinkering with it in the lab. I heard something hit the ground outside. Curious, I headed out into the front yard. There was nothing really there, though I saw a newspaper out in the yard. _Ah that's it._

I stepped out away from the house to get the newspaper towards the end of the driveway in the yard. _Huh, someone had to have thrown this pretty hard for me to hear it inside. _I knelt down to pick it up and looked up as I heard a car park in front of me. It was a white van. _Oh shit that's some creepy pedophile shit going on right here._ The window rolled down and I cursed, realizing it was an agent of the Guys in White. There was no mistaking the white suit and sunglasses.

"Well shit, guess my cocky, arrogance got me this time," I said to myself.

When I hacked into their systems I really should have took precautions. Then maybe they wouldn't have caught me.

"Gywn Silvia Gia, you are now under arrest by the Guys in White."

"Funny you make it sound like you would take my American rights into account."

Before I could make another comment, the large door to the van opened. I prayed that I had snoopy neighbors that would report the van as two large guys grabbed me and pulled me into the van. It was then that I never felt so helpless.

**Third Person:**

When Dani returned back to the house, she realized that something was off. If it wasn't from the tense feeling in the air, it was because the front door was left open. She knew that she closed it when she left and Gear _never_ left the front door open- she hated cockroaches and believed that if she left the door open then they could get in. She dropped the dog bag of food she brought home for Gear. She ran towards the door, flying over the steps of the porch and into the house.

"GEAR," Dani called, "Gear?! GEAR!?"

She checked the kitchen- a pot of fresh coffee was still sitting there. She checked Gear's room- nothing. She checked the lab- no one was there. She spotted the bracelet and the belt on the table, a few tools still on them. She looked at them horrified. Gear would never leave her 'life-lines' behind.

"Gear," Dani whispered, "Where are you?"

She paced the lab floor, wondering what she could do. She could go to Danny- but she didn't know what happened so what good would that do. She snapped her fingers as she got an idea.

"Computer, show security tapes from past two hours. Dani 04."

She recalled Gear saying something similar to the computer system- she only hoped it worked for her too. She crossed her fingers and let out a sigh of relief as voice said,

_"Order received- Dani 04. Showing film on Screen 7, Screen 8, Screen 9, and Screen 10.."_

There had to be dozens of computer screens. Dani quickly counted each one until she reached number seven. After a moment, the screen turned on and the tapes were showed. Each screen showed a different camera. She ordered the computer to fast forward until after she left, then she told it to play. She watched Gear go upstairs and make coffee and then go outside. She looked at the screen that showed the outside footage. She nearly screamed when she saw the guys from the white van pull Gear into it. _The Guys in White,_ Dani thought bitterly, _First they kill Danny and now they take her…_

She took a few deep breaths and then flew out of the house, turning invisible. She had to get Danny. It took her a while before she reached the mansion. She landed on the ground and then turned visible. A few mutants nearby looked at her startled.

"Like whoa," one of the girls said, "where did you come from?"

"I'm looking for Danny," Dani quickly said, "it's an emergency!"

The girl nodded,

"Like I know him! He never said he had a little sister…"

"Cousin," Dani corrected, "I'm Gear's little sister."

"Like really? Whoa. I'm Kitty. Come on, I'll like take you to Danny."

"I'm Dani- Dani with an _'i'_. And thanks."

Kitty nodded and showed Dani into the mansion. Danny ran through the halls and nearly ran into them,

"Sorry Kitty! Sorry Dani!"

He started to run off again before he did a double-take.

"Dani?! What are you doing here?"

"Danny," Dani said as she tackled him, "Gear's been nabbed!"

"What?"

"…The Guys in White got Gear."


	22. Chapter 21

**Author Note: I just want ya'll to know that I'm so happy so many of ya like Gear (she's my favorite OC to use). It just makes me smile like an idiot. Anyway, please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 21:**

**Third Person:**

Danny ran a hand through his hair. Dani sat on a chair in the office, looking as impatient as she felt. Professor X sat behind his desk, waiting for an explanation from the group. Storm and Logan stood beside him, looking just as patient. Jean and Scott looked concerned, but not they didn't look nearly as concerned as Kurt and Kitty.

Danny took a deep breath. He had to tell them. He needed their help if he was ever going to get Gear. He had no idea where the base was. He wasn't sure how to operate Gear's overly complicated computer system to track either the Guys in White or Gear herself. He had no idea what anti-ghost weapons the agents had. He didn't want to risk them hurting Gear, or getting Dani. He was a brave ghost, he knew that, but he wasn't stupid.

"Hey man, what's going on," Kurt asked.

"Okay," Danny said taking a deep unneeded breath, "This is Danielle Gia."

"-It's Dani," Dani said irritated, "Dani with an _'i'._"

"-Anyway," Danny continued, "She's my little cousin- Gear's little sister."

"And she's a mutant," Jean asked, "She _flew."_

"Not exactly," Danny scratched at the back of his neck, "What both of us are- it's complicated. We're… not normal. We can explain everything a lot better when we get back. But we need your help because Gear- she's been kidnapped by the Guys In White."

The X-Men shared a concerned look.

"Who are the Guys in White," Kurt asked confused.

"It's kind of hard…They're bad guys. They started as a government branch, but they kind of turned away from the government. They don't care about laws, rights, or even humanity. They care only about science. They don't like me and they do everything they can to get to me."

"Why?"

Danny took a deep breath and scratched at his head,

"I… I really can't remember, actually. I know a small bit, but not enough that it could help us… Before I came to Bayville, I kind of… lost my memory. I remembered faces, but not names. I stumbled upon Gear, remembered her face, and she explained a lot to me… But as for any clues about the Guys in White? I can't remember anything."

Danny looked down. Dani smiled at him in encouragement. Kurt and Kitty shared a look of worry- they both remembered the pool incident. He said he didn't remember. He wasn't lying. Logan almost dropped his cigar, relating to the boy as he had lost his memories once before. Professor X sighed deeply,

"Young Daniel, would you like to remember? I can't promise you that everything will be pleasant, but I can do my best…"

"I… I want to remember…Please…"

* * *

"Now Daniel," Professor X explained, "When I enter your mind, I will see everything you do. Is this alright with you?"

Danny thought for a moment. Was he really okay with the Professor seeing everything? Considering that it would mean not only a chance at finding out where the Guys in White have their base, but it may cause him to remember how he died, he was alright with it. The real question was if he was okay with learning his life as Danny _Fenton_? Deciding that _Fenton_ was the past and now he was Danny _Tempest,_ he nodded.

"It's Danny, and yeah- I'm okay with that, but Professor?"

"Yes, Danny?"

"I think I should warn you… I don't think my memories are going to be all that pleasant."

Professor Xavier felt his heart ache for a moment- the sincerity in Danny's voice was painful to hear. Danny believed his past to be hurtful, and it must be if his brain knocked everything out as if it was self-induced amnesia. Unlike Logan's mind, Danny's amnesia seemed to psychological, which therefore could be cured. The Professor nodded and put a finger to Danny's temple with one hand, his other hand was put to his own temple. They both closed their eyes.

_"Danny,"_ Professor X said through Danny's mind, _"This may sting. I need you to relax and try to keep your mind open. Don't try to block anything, do you understand?"_

_"I understand Professor…"_

The Professor started his work- once he found where the memories were being blocked, he tried to release them slowly. _Tried_ being the keyword. Instead, the memories came back like water bursting from a dam. All at once, Danny (and the Professor) were hit with memories. Danny remembered everything. Scraping his knee when he fell when he was four. The bike when he was six. His older sister scolding him when he fell off said-bike and scolding their parents for not paying attention. He remembered every Thanksgiving, Christmas, he remembered how he hated Christmas. He remembered all his friends- the things they did, the video games they played, the inside jokes.

He remembered his love for Sam. How she was more than just a best friend. He remembered being so convinced that she was the girl he loved- the girl he was even going to marry. He remembered the ring his father gave him and how he gave it to Sam for 'safe keeping.' He remembered how many times he was tempted to kiss her.

He remembered seeing Gear when he was four and being scared of her- all the way till he was eight. He remembered her helping him when he got his head stuck in a fishbowl (Jazz was at their aunt's and their parents weren't home) when he was seven (she was only nine). He remembered becoming half ghost. He remembered all his enemies- Vlad, the Box Ghost, Spectra, Undergrowth. He remembered his allies- Clockwork, Frostbite, Cujo and Wulf.

Most of all he remembered the bumbling idiots that started out as a joke- the Guys in White. He remembered how he thought they were a joke at first because they were. He remembered slowly seeing them getting stronger, better, _smarter._ He remembered Sam warning him that they could be a threat and him waving it off. He remembered getting captured. He remembered each and every torture, every single pain inflicted on upon him. He remembered them showing the video feed as they killed his family. He remembered thinking that maybe things would get better if they just went ahead and killed him. He remembered trying to make that thought true when he used a scalpel to slice his wrists.

He remembered that the Guys in White didn't necessarily kill him.

They just led him to it and made it look like they killed him themselves- they even fooled Gear.

* * *

They all left the room to leave Professor X alone with Daniel so no one was sure what had happened- they had no idea that as Professor X went into Danny's mind, he learned _everything_, including the _truth_. What they did know was that when they came back into the office, Danny was hunched over, clutching his head and nearly in hysterics. He was harshly rubbing his wrists and arms- if they looked closer they would have saw faint scars on his wrists, two sloppy cuts. One was on each wrist, just where it bent, right over an artery. It was hard to notice- if he didn't get memories back, he wouldn't even have noticed them. Professor X seemed depressed as well with downcast eyes. Logan made a gruff noise,

"You alright, kid? Chuck?"

"I'm fine, Logan, but I don't know if I can say the same for Daniel…"

Their gaze turned towards the boy. His eyes were shut tightly and his fists were clenched. Kurt placed a hand on Danny's shoulder,

"Hey man, I don't know what you saw- but are you alright?"

"Danny," Dani asked cautiously, "Are you okay?"

"No, no I'm not," Danny whispered, "…But I know where their base is."


	23. Chapter 22

**Author Note: Sorry- slight surprise how Danny died, eh? But that's why Clockwork didn't tell him- the cause of death was something Danny needed to remember on his own. He wasn't just a ghost because he was a halfa when he was alive, but because he killed himself- it was a tragic death that caused Danny to be a ghost along with the ectoplasm already in his veins. Gear thought the GiW killed him- they did a good cover up. Even he thought he was killed by them until he remembered. But eh- sorry for the surprise with a dash of angst.**

**~CWA**

**Chapter 22:**

**Third Person:**

Gear coughed gruffly, wincing when the action caused her lungs to burn. She gargled and spit at the floor- seeing a bit of blood in her spit, most likely from her busted lip. The two agents in front of her had the guff to stand proudly as if they achieved something- as if they weren't beating a girl for information. She noted the camera in the corner that was recording the session (and facing her directly)- standard, nothing extraordinary. A second camera was by the door- it moved around, scanning the whole room. If she hoped to get out, she would have to take out the corner camera first while the second camera was turned away. Then take the door camera out from the blind spot. It would be simple if the two goons left the room. She remembered the halls and rooms she saw when she hacked their cameras- she knew where the nearest exit was.

She just had to wait. She would get a chance to leave- somehow. With her brains, maybe help from Clockwork if he was watching, and some miracle, she would escape before Danny did something stupid like rescue her and end up getting captured himself. She had to get out before Danny showed himself- or worse, both Danny and Dani showed up. Then the Guys in White have both Phantom's to torture (and possibly kill Dani), and they'll kill her before she had a chance to get them out.

"So tell me, do you guys realize how cliché it is," Gear said, "I mean, you have me _tied to a chair._ All for what? Because you think I'm in league with ghosts?"

She coughed again, sending another burn to her lungs. The rough rope was burning her wrists and cutting off circulation to her fingers, but that didn't stop her from trying to untie it. Agent O sneered at her and yanked her by the hair, jerking her head to the side roughly.

"We don't have times for your games, Miss Gia. Tell us where Phantom is."

"Phantom? I thought you guys were looking for Casper the friendly ghost."

The agent yanked her hair harder and got into her face,

"You're a smart, beautiful woman Miss Gia. It'd be a shame if something were to happen."

"I think you guys can do a better threat than that," she coughed again, "Mess my face and body up all you want, it won't keep people away from me. I heard I have a dazzling personality."

She tried to smirk, but it just caused her face to hurt. Her body was already hurt enough from them- the bruises and cuts on her wrist from the rope, the cuts on her arms from their rough handling, the bruises forming on her ribs and her chest along with other various cuts from their 'methods of interrogation.' She didn't care. She would keep quiet even if meant becoming a ghost herself. Danny was her little brother- as was Dani. They were the only family she had left. She'll be damned if she tells people like the Guys in White, or anyone for that matter, where they are or what their weakness was.

"Miss Gia, I don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation," Agent K said as he smirked, "You will tell us what we want to know… Or you can join Phantom as a ghost. Then we'll see even more of each other as you're tied down and being experimented on."

Gear yawned, causing a bit of pain in her mouth. She smacked her lips.

"Sorry did you say something? Because all I am hearing is _'blah, blah, blah.'"_

The other agent yanked on her hair again, causing her to cry out.

"Take care of this _annoyance_ Agent O," Agent K said, "Continue to question her. You know what to do to make her talk."

"And here I thought I was talking to much, man you guys are never satisfied are you?"

"Oh I can be satisfied," Agent O whispered in her ear, "After all, fear is a good way to make someone talk… And I know what pretty young woman like you fear."

A trickle of fear started to ignite within her. She continued her façade- she was a normally witty, smartass person, but the façade was that she wasn't scared. Yet she was- terrified even. Scared for herself, scared for Danny. Scared about what he was going to do.

"Cockroaches?"

"Something like that," Agent O smirked.

His breath was still hitting her neck and she tensed realizing just what he was going to do to make her talk. He could have hit her. Beaten her. Cut her open. Bruise more of her ribs. Break a bone. But no. He going to most likely do all of that, plus one other thing- the one that that, for once, caused her to be solemn and serious.

"You sick motherfucker," Gear spat.

"You're not my mother."

* * *

Professor X rubbed his temple with a sigh. What young Daniel planned to do was dangerous- for both himself and the other X-Men. They were all going to be in great danger. However, young Gywn was in much more danger since she was already in their enemy's clutches.

Currently, he was watching as Danny, Dani, Kitty, Kurt, Logan, Storm, Jean, and Scott all got into a helicarrier. It was too dangerous to send everyone, even if it would higher the chances of Gywn getting back safe. All of them, aside from Danny and Dani, were dressed in their X-Men uniform. Dani claimed that she already had her 'own spandex' which she proved when she 'transformed', shocking everyone but the Professor and Danny. Of course, Professor X was going to just send Logan, Jean, Scott, and Storm to get Gywn as to lessen the danger of Danny and Dani getting captured. However, Danny insisted and Dani, Kurt, and Kitty were going to stow away so it was best to just go ahead and let them come along.

"Daniel," Professor X, "Be careful. This is a very dangerous mission. Any one of you could be captured so it's imperative that you all stick together and work as a team."

"Understood Professor," Danny nodded, "And with all due respect, I think we can do it… We just have to keep a positive mind."

_Mostly because it's a positive mind that's keeping me from thinking about what they may be doing to Gear and keeping from losing my anger,_ Danny thought. His fists clenched briefly and with one last nod to the Professor, he joined the others on the helicarrier.

As they were about to take off, Dani turned towards Danny. She bit her lip slightly,

"Danny," she whispered, "What if I said I knew about something that could help?"

Danny turned towards her quickly,

"What? What do you mean?"

"…Gear was working on something, with your blood samples and pure ectoplasm."

"What about it?"

"Gear said that it could make you more powerful," Dani explained, "If this is as dangerous as I think it is, I think we could use the extra power. But she doesn't know what it may do to you for sure or what the side effects may be. You know what? Forget it. Forget I mentioned it."

She ran a hand through her hair. Danny knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"…Dani, go to the house- get the pure ectoplasm and bring it back to me. Hurry."


	24. Chapter 23

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 23:**

**Third Person:**

When they reached the base, they were sure to keep the carrier on camouflage mode as to not be spotted. The base itself was sight- it looked like a high security prison. About ten to fifteen agents roamed the grounds, but there was bound to be more inside the base. Danny took a deep breath to calm himself from seeing the base again- the same base where they kept him, tortured him, and led him to take his life. His hand in his pocket twirled the syringe filled with the pure ectoplasm. He would put it inside his system as soon as he needed it. It was dangerous for his health, but if it meant taking down the Guys in White and getting Gear back, it was worth it.

Dani looked over at Danny nervously. She wasn't that scared to go in there and kick butt- she was brave… But she was still a kid that worried about her family- family like Gear and Danny. Both of whom were in danger- Danny because of the ectoplasm and Gear because she inside the base.

Danny was leader of the mission. He was the one that knew the most about the Guys in White, they were his enemies, and it was his cousin inside. He was brave, smart, and had good potential to be a great leader so it was reasonable.

"Kurt," Danny said, "We won't be able to get past the shield. Think you can poof into the control?"

Danny, with help of the prints left in Gear's house that Dani grabbed and his memory, was able to draw out their route- which included where the control room was.

"Yeah, be there and be back in a minute."

"Wait," Danny said, "Take Kitty with you. Dani and I can't be seen yet, but Kitty can phase through it, taking out the wires."

Kitty and Kurt nodded before doing as they were told.

"We could always break down the shield," Logan said gruffly.

"You'll get your chance for action soon enough Logan," Danny said dryly.

He looked out the front window of the carrier- Danny was the one driving since he knew where it was. He stayed in position with a hard grip on the controls. The shield was a ghost shield, a small detail he _forgot_ to mention. While the others could have gotten in easily, he and Dani (unless she was in human form) couldn't. As soon as there seemed to be chaos at the base and the lights were flickering, Danny figured either they got caught, or Kitty and Kurt succedded.

The shield came down and soon after, Kurt and Kitty reappeared in the carrier.

"Done, now go," Kurt rushed.

Danny nodded and quickly flew the carrier into the base.

"Remember, we head out immediately as we land. Follow me and don't get caught. Jean, Scott, Logan, keep the agents off Dani and me. Kurt, Kitty, go to the secruity room to make sure that Gear is where we think she is and keep an eye on where the agents are. Storm, if you can make the weather bad and distract them- that'd be great."

He landed the carrier on the ground, causing a few of the agents to look up with scorn,

"NOW GO!"

* * *

"This is it," Danny said as they reached the interrogation room.

Behind him, the others stood. Dani stood at a ready battle stance as did the others, ready to fight any other agents that may come their way. For the moment, however, things were calm beside the alarm blaring. Kurt and Kitty were there as well, having done their part seeing where Gear was (it had to be in the one room where the cameras weren't working). Danny was just about to turn the handle to the door when it opened from the other side. He jumped back and a few ectoblasts got ready in his hands, his eyes glowing bright vivid green.

Gear quirked an eyebrow,

"That explains the alarms."

The ectoblasts died in his hands as he took in Gear's appearance. Her hair was a mess- sticking up at odd angles and there were few parts that showed a bit of hair loss as if the hair was yanked out. Her lips were bruised and the bottom was busted open. She had a black eye and her wrists were cut a bit and rope-burned. Her _Ghostbusters_ shirt was torn apart and just barely even on her. Bruises and cuts covered her thighs and arms. Danny caught a glimpse of the room she was in- there was a bit of blood on the floor. He noticed a pair of torn black and purple underwear near the over-turned chair and he gulped as a knot formed in his stomach. The others saw everything as well and a bit of shame for not getting there sooner bubbled within them- most of all, Jean felt terrible for how she was rude to Gear.

Gear, however, wanted nothing more than to get out of there. She wouldn't show it, but she felt a bit self conscious for once. She wanted to cover up. She wanted to get out. She refused to speak about what they did in there, what he did to her, but she wasn't going to let it change who she was. _I am freaking Quam Tu. I am feared. I will not let anything, especially this, bring me down._

"God Gear, what did they do," Danny whispered.

"Nothing I couldn't take," Gear said firmly, trying to get him to drop the subject.

She coughed,

"I was trying to get out before you got here. Didn't want them to get to ya, ya know? You're so impatient."

She swayed on her feet slightly and put a hand on the wall to balance herself. Danny put one of her arms over his shoulders to steady her. Jean got the other side of Gear as Dani looked horrified.

"You're hurt," Danny said, "We gotta get out of here."

"'m 'ine," Gear coughed.

Danny glared at her and she attempted to smile cheekily at him, but it came out as a wince. With the help of the others, they were able to get out of the hallway and back outside. That was when they were met with about thirty agents- all of them pointing guns (anti-ghost and otherwise). Danny glared at them heavily, his anger bubbling inside of him. Logan unsheathed his claws. Dani got her ectoblasts ready as Storm flew into the air a bit- all of them ready to attack.

"Phantom, you're coming back with us."

"Not on your life," Danny sneered, his eyes turning red briefly in anger.


	25. Chapter 24

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 24:**

**Third Person:**

Danny handed Gear off to Jean. Gear stumbled a bit and Jean caught her easily,

"Easy, Gywn."

"For the last time, Red, it's Gear," Gear said.

Jean just gave her an apologetic look before turning her attention to the fight. Danny motioned for the others to stand down, ignoring Dani's protests. Jean briefly wondered why the Guys in White called Danny by his codename- Phantom. Though she didn't have time to wonder on it very long before Danny pulled out what looked like a syringe. Concerned, she took a small step forward, only for Danny to shout at her to stay back.

"Shit, Double D," Gear coughed, "Don't you do it."

"Do what," Jean asked, realizing Gear knew what was going on.

"I… twiddle with things. One of the things I was working on was that- supposed to make him stronger. Idiot- it's in the test phase. Don't know what could happen."

Gear coughed harshly again, causing her to whimper as another burn reached her lungs. Danny looked back at her with a saddened look before sticking the needle in his arm and pushing all the pure ectoplasm into his veins before the Guys in White had a chance to react. He felt the power surge through his veins like an almost high. He yanked it out and then powers ectoblasts in his hands. His eyes glowed brighter than usual and he seemed to have a bright white aura around him. His ectoblasts even glowed brighter.

"You want me, come get me."

They shot at him. He threw up a shield to protect the others,

"Danielle- keep them safe!"

He shot at the agents rapidly, shot after shot, each shot that hit the ground caused a small indent in the ground. Not really using his brain, he shot rapidly without aiming- not noticing that he shot at the helicarrier as well, causing its wing to blow out. He let out a large scream of frustration as the agents shot at him,

"You have no chance Phantom!"

"Didn't know you had a sense of humor! In case you didn't notice, you're losing!"

He continued to shoot rapidly as he flew into the air, zipping around so quick that the agents didn't have a solid thing to aim at. He shot a few ice shots as well, freezing their weapons and their feet. One by one, there were no more agents left to fight- all of them being weaponless or knocked out. It lasted a total of five minutes before there was only one agent standing.

Danny landed on the ground, his eyes still glowing so bright that there seemed to be no pupil. As he walked towards the last agent, large footprint-shaped burns were imprinted into the ground. His hands were practically smoking as he reached the agent.

"Game over."

He punched the agent swiftly, knocking him out- then he punched him again,

"And that one was for what you did to Gear."

He turned towards the others- Gear didn't look that happy as she was cursing under her breath, Dani seemed concerned, Logan looked proud, and Storm was back to being worried about Gear's condition.

"Back to the helicarrier," Danny ordered.

"If you mean that black one, you took out its wing, dumbass," Gear glared.

"You know, I thought you'd be happy to be saved."

"Saved, hell yes, I'm really thankful for it. But that's not going to stop me from being pissed you just used something _experimental_ to make yourself powerful. Now let's go."

"I can destroy the base," Danny chimed, "But-"

"-No. I can take them down _legally_ so they're locked up. We just gotta get out of here… My ribs hurt like hell- pretty sure they're bruised up pretty badly."

She coughed violently again, Jean and Storm both held her steady.

"We can't wait Danny, we have to get her to the infirmary," Jean pointed out.

Danny growled slightly,

"Fine. They have their jet over there- let's go."

With help from Jean, Storm, and Dani, Gear was inside the jet and buckled up tightly. It was a small space for all of them, so those not in the few seats were squished shoulder to shoulder, but it was still a ride out of there. Danny took the controls and off they went, heading back to the mansion.

"I contacted the Professor," Jean informed them as they neared the mansion, "He said that Beast is ready to take Gear to the infirmary to treat her."

"Good," Danny nodded firmly, "But I think you should tell him to be ready to check all of us."

"Why?"

"The controls just locked up. I can't really do anything… This is gonna be an interesting landing…"

"Define interesting," Gear asked cautiously as she coughed.

Danny scratched at his head,

"'Oh god, oh god, we're gonna die.'"

* * *

Jean was able to use her powers to land the jet safely, causing Danny to be embarrassed, but thankful. As soon as the jet landed, the others mutants at the mansion flooded around it, watching as they exited- they took in Danny's different appearance. His eyes were still glowing with no pupil or white and his footsteps still caused burn marks, not to mention the white aura. A few, however, looked horrified at Gear's appearance. Jean and Dani were helping her stand and get out since Danny's hands were still power-charged with no off switch. Beast was quick to make his way through the crowd.

"Dear Lord," he whispered as he saw Gear, "Jean can you levitate her to the medical room? If we carry her, it might do too much damage and her ankle looks broken or at least sprained, I won't know until I take a closer look."

"Sure thing," Jean said and Gear waved her arms weakly as she floated a few inches off the ground.

"Hey ehh doc," Danny said as he started to sway, "Power high is coming to a power low…"

He collapsed onto the ground, Logan just barely managing to catch him in time. The white aura around him died out and Logan threw him over his shoulder,

"I got him."

Beast shook his head. Scott and Storm worked on getting the other mutants to carry on and not stare as Dani, Kurt, and Kitty followed Jean and Logan- therefore following where Gear and Danny were going.


	26. Chapter 25

**Author Note: Please review!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 25:**

**Third Person:**

Beast growled slightly as he tried to examine Gear. She was not being that cooperative with her fussing and her 'witty' comments. Gear crossed her arms, after a couple of days in recovery, she was feeling better- physically anyway. She was doing her best to not think about what happened at the base- partly because it hurt her too much, and partly because of the mind readers at the mansion.

"Miss Gia, I am trying to help you," Beast said firmly.

Gear smiled, her face and lips already feeling well enough to do so,

"I know, dude, but honestly, it's all good- really."

"You're results say otherwise."

"My results are liars."

Beast growled in frustration again before he could say anything, however, the door opened. Professor X wheeled himself in- being one of the few allowed in the medical room.

"Hello Hank, could excuse us for a moment?"

"Of course, Professor, but good luck. She's the least cooperative patient I have ever seen," Beast grumbled before leaving Gear and the Professor alone to talk.

The Professor smiled at Gear, but it just made Gear nervous. She glanced over at the medical bed beside her. Danny was still passed out. She needed to get over there to look him over, but Beast wouldn't let her out of the bed- she was just now well enough to actually stay awake and answer questions. She really hated staying in the bed- at least Dani had went to the house and gave Beast her clothes so she wasn't laying there with no underwear. Plus, she had her _Noot Noot Motherfucker_ shirt that reached her knees, but she still wore long baggy pants, feeling self-cautious after what happened at the base.

"He will be fine, Miss Gia. I have talked to Beast and he agreed to not even check young Daniel's vitals until you have had a chance to look him over."

"I take it he wasn't that happy about it?"

Professor Xavier chuckled,

"Not particularly, no. Miss Gia, a lot happened while you were at the base."

_A lot happened while I was in the base,_ Gear thought. The Professor raised an eyebrow, but continued,

"While you were away, however briefly it was, young Daniel found that he wished to remember his past. To do so, I had to enter his mind and-"

"-And now you know everything and he remembers everything," Gear finished, "So I guess you know what he really is and what I do for a living."

"Indeed."

"And you're not going to rat me out to the government or press because I'm _Quam Tu?_ I mean, I'm full of bad things and flaws, but at least I'm stitched up with good intentions… And the occasional beer. You're going to let him stay at the mansion, right? He really loves it here."

"Miss Gia," the Professor said firmly, "As far as I am concerned, you are as much of an X-Men as he is and we _always _help fellow X-Men and good people. All I ask is for you to be more careful about your work and to talk."

"Talk?"

"You and I both know that a lot happened to you inside that base, when you wish to speak someone about it or it becomes too much- I ask that you come to me and talk about it, rather than a beer bottle."

Gear smiled sheepishly as the Professor wheeled himself out. In a few moments, Beast came back in, looking at Gear a bit begrudgingly,

"The Professor talked me into this, if it was up to me, you would not leave that bed. But you are allowed to look over young Daniel, if and _only if_, you allow me to look at the results as well."

"Fair enough, big guy, now help me out please."

With Beast's help, she was able to get out of the medical bed and head over to Danny. He was passed out and due to his ghost status, it seemed like he was dead. There was no rising of the chest- no slight breaths. He was twitching slightly and his eyes showed that he was still active- they were moving under the eyelids which meant he was at least in a deep sleep. She took his temperature- it was a bit higher than usual. She motioned for Beast to hand her a needle and with caution, she was able to draw some of his blood/ectoplasm.

"Shouldn't you take his other vitals as well," Beast asked curiously.

"No good. You can and you'll see I wasn't kidding when I saw his vitals are as if he were dead. He has no heartbeat, no vitals. There is a slight blood pressure, but it isn't necessarily from the heart, it's just from this," she held up the blood sample, "Flowing in his veins."

She took a seat the table and put the blood under the microscope.

"I'm checking to see if everything is back to normal- most of it is noticeable under a microscope so there's no need to necessarily run any tests on the blood."

The blood looked normal- it was all ectoplasm as usual, but it was weak. It quickly died off under the microscope. Gear sighed,

"Beast, can you get Dani for me? I'll need to talk to her."

"Very well."

He left and it took only ten minutes for him to return with the young halfa. She tackled Gear in a large hug,

"Gear! You're alright! Beast said that you couldn't have visitors so I wasn't sure! I haven't told them anything though because I figured it was best to wait until you woke up- then you can make Danny better and we can explain everything at the same time."

"Good thinking, Little D, but _you still told Danny about my experiment_."

Dani bit her lip,

"Are you mad?"

Gear laughed and ruffled Dani's hair,

"Hello no. I would've done the same damn thing. Kid, you're too much like me for your own good sometimes… You're still grounded though."

"But you said you weren't mad," Dani protested.

"I'm not, but you still did take something experimental."

"I'll never do it again," Dani swore.

Gear just shook her head,

"You and I both know that someday for some reason, you will do it again. Now help me get back to my medical bed, I'm getting dizzy."

Dani grabbed Gear's arms and helped her back to the bed. Gear took a few deep breaths, wincing as it still hurt her banded chest.

"So is Danny going to be okay," Dani asked nervously.

"At the moment, he's just too weak to up," Gear explained, "Kind of like a sugar rush? You know how you get really hyper and then crash? The same idea, but Danny dude is going to be knocked out for a _really_ long time unless I do what I need to do to get his system back in shape. Little D, I need some things from the house to get Danny back in top-top kick-ass shape."

"Okay Gear, what do you need?"

"A shit load of things and gum."

"Gum?"

"If it worked for smokers, it'll work for me so yeah, gum."


	27. Chapter 26

**Author Note: Please review! I'm uploading the epilogue next!  
~CWA**

**Chapter 26:**

**Third Person:**

It took another three hours before Gear was able to do enough to wake Danny up. She had inserted a lesser amount of pure ectoplasm, and mixed ectoplasm (a weaker form of it mixed with various other chemicals), into his system- not enough to make him all powerful, but enough to make his system wake up and want to repair itself. He opened his eyes groggily.

"G-Gear? Are you okay?"

Gear smiled and nodded,

"Are you?"

"Yeah," Danny said as he sat up and rubbed his head, "I think so."

"Good," Gear said as she whacked him upside the head.

"What the- Gear!"

"You're an idiot, Double D," Gear said firmly before giving him a small hug, "You're an idiot for trying something that dangerous. You're an idiot for risking yourself and Dani, and even those X-Men. But… thanks for the save and everything you did."

Danny smiled as Gear pulled away. He looked around- the other X-Men were there, waiting for an explanation, he wagered. Professor X was the one in the back, watching everything and giving Danny a nod of encouragement. Jean and Scott were standing close to each other, but Jean kept sending concerned looks towards Gear. Dani was at his side, smiling- happy that he was okay. Kurt and Kitty looked happy as well. Logan and Storm were standing by the Professor, watching as Kurt and Kitty welcomed Danny 'back to the land of the living', not realizing the irony in their words.

"Okay, so you all want an explanation then," Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah man," Kurt said, "That'd be nice."

Danny took a deep breath.

"It's probably best to start at the beginning… I'm not a human. I'm not a mutant. I'm… I'm dead. My real name is Daniel Jack Fenton. I lived in a place called Amity Park, where my parents were kind of…ghost obsessed. When I was fourteen, they built this machine. It was designed to view-"

"-A world unseen," Gear interrupted, thinking of the song that Tucker and she came up with.

Danny looked at her a bit annoyed, but continued,

"Yeah. The Ghost Zone. See, they believed that ghosts lived, per say, in a dimension connected to ours- that dimension was the Ghost Zone. The problem was, it didn't work. At least, not until I took a look inside it. Uhh Gear, can you explain the technical parts?"

"Sure," Gear shrugged, "Basically the blast from the portal shocked him with thousands volts of electricity, which should've killed him, except it didn't because at the same time, he was shot with pure ectoplasm all over his body. While the electricity killed him, the ectoplasm was working to keep him alive. It bonded with his DNA- but only half of it before he got out of the portal. As a result, he became a halfa- he was half ghost, half human with the ability to switch between both forms. He even protected the town from the shit ton of ghosts that escaped."

"Wait," Kitty said, "Shouldn't that have been like over the news?"

"True," Gear agreed, "But the problem was there was a Guys in White base in the town- they never let the news reach anywhere outside of Amity. Though I think the time the town was sucked into the Ghost Zone, it was deemed 'town mysteriously missing' all over the country. Not sure though. Back then, the Guys in White were a joke so we actually didn't take them that seriously till recently."

The others shared a look of disbelief except for the Professor.

"Do you believe this Chuck," Logan asked.

"I have no reason not to Logan. I saw it happen in his mind," the Professor answered.

Logan whistled lowly as Danny continued to explain,

"I _was_ half ghost. _Was _being the key word. Not too long before we came to Bayville, I died. The Guys in White, a ghost-hunting government branch with no morals and lack of respect for the law, captured me. They... They tortured me. They-"

Danny shook a bit before he continued,

"They did a lot of things- vivisection, electrocution… They forced me to watch these video screens- showing what they did when they… They killed my family. My parents, my older sister- they killed my best friends and their family… I wanted to just die. I thought… I thought if I was dead, then at least I'd be with them. And anything as better than suffering through being cut open, put together and then opened again. One day, however, I was alone. I was alone and I-."

Tears bristled at his eyes a bit. Gear looked over in confusion and in concern as he continued,

"I took my own life. I grabbed one of their scalpels and I slit my wrist."

He showed his wrists, they barely noticed the scars, but the scars were still there. Storm let out a horrified gasp.

"No," Kurt whispered.

Danny's hands shook and Gear looked taken back. She wasn't sure what to think of that revelation. Dani grabbed Gear's hand and squeezed it tightly. Danny continued,

"I actually died and when I when I woke up, I lost my memory. I remembered faces, but not names or anything else. I didn't even know my own name until I had this flashback, but… I was able to track down Gear. I remembered her face. She explained a lot to me. She heard about mutants here and wanted to check them out, so she invited me to come along. She heard about the Institute and thought I would be able to pass for a mutant, so she wanted you guys to find out about my powers and invite me in so I could report to her."

Everyone turned to Gear, who gave a sheepish grin,

"I just wanted to make sure you guys were the good guys, geesh."

"It's true," Danny chimed in, "But I never expected to… Feel like I belong, to feel _alive_, and have a new family, new friends… Please… Please let me stay here… I- I-"

"Young Daniel," Professor X said firmly, "Dead or alive, ghost or not, you did a very brave thing, saving young Gywn. You are an X-men. You will always be one of us and you will always be welcomed here. That extends to you too, Miss Gia."


	28. Epilogue

**Author Note: Please review! I hope you guys enjoyed the story!  
~CWA**

**Epilogue:**

**Danny:**

A full year after being with the X-Men and I felt more alive than I have in a long time. I had a home. I had a family. I had friends. I was complete. I may have been dead, but I was _alive._ Currently, however, I was at Gear's house after she called me saying it was an emergency and if I didn't get over there, there was no way she'd be able to sleep at night.

"Okay look, Danny dude, you can sit there smiling like an idiot or you can actually do something productive like oh, I don't know, KILL THE FREAKING MONSTER IN THE KITCHEN!?"

I turned my attention back to Gear, confused. She was standing on the couch, looking around desperately.

"Monster, what monster?"

She winced and shivered slightly. She got her gun,

"I'll take care of it."

Before I could say anything, she walked into the kitchen. I poked my head in and held back laughter as she tried to shot the gun at the cockroach on the floor. She screamed as it took to the air.

"IT FUCKING FLIES! OH SHITTLES!"

She ran back into the living room, looking around for it, making sure it didn't follow her.

"DON'T JUST LAUGH," she said, nearly on the brink of tears, "KILL IT DUDE! PLEASE!"

Laughing, I went into the kitchen and squished the cockroach.

"It's dead."

She relaxed, but she was still obviously a bit upset as she shivered,

"I'm gonna bug bomb the whole place. If there was one, there's more…"

I shook my head laughing slightly,

"You weren't kidding when you said you hated cockroaches."

"And fear them," she added, "So, are you going to make diner for Dani and I or I'm ordering take out? If you're cooking, you have time, Dani is working on her homework at the library."

"It's getting kind of late, so I think I'll head back to mansion. See ya, Gear!"

I laughed as Gear started to get a bunch of bug bombs and bug spray from under the sink with a shiver. She turned to me and gave me a two-finger salute,

"Yeah! See ya, Double D! Don't get into too much trouble, m'kay? Dye Scott's hair pink for me!"

"Will do!"

* * *

I sat down on the edge of the roof, looking at the night sky. With my memory back and after reading a lot more astronomy books, I could name at least half the constellations I could see from this side of the roof. There was a _poof_ and Kurt appeared next to me, his tail swinging slightly. He sat down on his feet, perching himself on them.

"Hey dude, you alright?"

"Yeah, just kind of…remembering some things."

I smiled slightly as I continued to remember. I loved to think about my old memories- at least the ones of Jazz, Sam, and Tucker- sometimes ones of my parents. Every once in a while, I would recall something that Gear had done in the past which came in handy since I knew some blackmailing things now.

Most of all, however, I remembered just last year Gear hacked into the Guys in White, much more carefully, and used their own security videos in court against them. Using the best lawyer money could buy, Gear was able not only able to earn a heck a lot of money from the case, but the Guys in White was shut down and their agents were sent to be jailed for a long, _long _time over several charges- fraud, impersonation of an officer, attempt murder, endangerment of civilians, disturbing the peace, first degree murder, rape, and a few others I couldn't recall off the top of my head. In my mind, they deserved the death penalty. Not because of what they did to me, but because of what they did to Gear.

"Your memories…what do you remember," Kurt asked, "What was your family like? If it's cool to ask."

I looked over with a smile and a bit of a laugh,

"My family were dorks. My parents were dorks and did everything they could to embarrass me, but they did it with love. My older sister was a pain in the neck, but I loved her and she loved me. The thing is, Kurt, I remember my past- all of it. And I just now realized something."

I looked off to the sky for a moment as I ran a hand through my hair with a small smile.

"What?"

"I may have been alive, or half-alive, or whatever, but I wasn't really living," I explained.

I remembered all about my days as the half-ghost superhero. I remembered skipping class, the detentions, the bad grades. I remembered ditching my friends sometimes to go save the day and I remembered the days when they helped me save the day.

"I mean, I did some pretty awesome things- totally. I took down some pretty hard villains. I saved people. But that was all _Phantom, _not _Fenton._"

I shook my head,

"Before I was a hero, I was just Danny Fenton. And I… I was just going through life without living it- get up, go to school, come home, do homework, repeat. Weekends- homework, movies, sleep, repeat."

I remembered those days before I was half ghost. I remembered the days I actually did good in school. I remembered Jazz helping me on homework. I remembered not worrying about anything besides grades and when the next video game was coming out. I was just a normal, boring kid.

"I never did anything that was really living life to the fullest. And as a halfa, Phantom was only half of me, not all of me. I was still the same boring kid- somewhere in me anyway. But as Danny _Tempest_- look what I've done? I discovered all about ghosts for a second time, I made new friends, I defeated the Guys in White, saved you and Gear. I did it with my _entire being_, not just _half_ of me. I felt like I really was living life… Funny, how I really didn't live until I died."

"That's…that's actually pretty ironic dude."


End file.
